Many people take an attitude of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” towards their heating systems. This is certainly an understandable position. Replacing a heating system is a major expense, and it seldom makes sense to install a brand new system as long as your current one is serviceable. However, if you need a significant heating repair Riverside CA, this just might be the perfect opportunity to consider updating your system to a new, energy-efficient model. You might also consider switching to a system that takes a different kind of fuel, because doing so can often save you lots of money on your monthly bills. Here are your major fuel choices for heat in California:
Heating Oil. Heating oil prices have been on the rise for a long time, and according to the US Energy Information Administration they will rise another 2 percent this winter. The cost of heating oil is spurring many homeowners to convert to natural gas systems. However, another option is to convert your current oil-burning system to use Bioheat, an eco-friendly option made from plant and animal oils. New York City has already mandated that all oil furnaces use Bioheat, and other cities may not be far behind.
Natural Gas. Though about half of American households use natural gas for heat, prices have remained relatively stable because of the recent increases in domestic gas production. If you live in a region of the country where exporting local gas is difficult, you can expert extremely low prices on fuel if you switch to natural gas.
Biomass. Heating systems that burn biomass fuels, such as wood pellets or corn, offer significant savings over systems that burn more traditional fuels like oil, gas, or coal. For example, if instead of doing a heating repair Riverside CA to your gas heating system, you switched to a biomass system, your fuel costs would be the same as if gas suddenly dropped to 60 cents per gallon. Additionally, biomass heat is very even and cozy, plus it is carbon neutral.
Geothermal. Geothermal heating systems are rather expensive to install, but their fuel costs are extremely low because they rely on stable temperatures beneath the ground to create heated air. Geothermal pumps can actually double as heating and air conditioning systems. According to the EPA, low-maintenance geothermal systems cost 30-70 percent less to operate than traditional heating systems and 20-50 percent less than air conditioning.
Electric. Electric heating systems can either be powered off the grid or using your own source of electrical power, such as solar panels or wind turbines. For residential applications, it is seldom cost-effective to use renewable energy to generate your own electricity for heat, even in a warm climate like Southern California.
Of course, the type of heating fuel that is best for you depends on what part of the country you live in and what is available there. When you call a heating contractor for heating repair Riverside CA, be sure to ask for recommendations about the pros and cons of switching to a different fuel.