Final Round: Gas Furnace vs Electric Furnace

The home heating tournament finally concludes this week with a match-up very much akin to the Lakers / Celtics rivalry in basketball. It's Gas Furnace vs Electric Furnace for the right to be crowned 2008 Home Heating Champion!

Both Team Gas and Team Electric survived some mighty tough competition in the earlier rounds from old and new heating systems, alike, but now, it's time to put up or shut up once and for all.

Gas Furnace Electric Furnace

Gas Furnace

Just in the course of this tournament alone, the former strong point of Gas Furnace, price, has become more and more of a concern for its fans. Heating your home with gas will still be cheaper than electricity on the national average, but that gap has shrunk considerably as gas prices continue to skyrocket across the board. Fortunately, Gas Furnace does have some other weapons in its arsenal, including increasingly efficient new models that reduce emissions and provide warmth throughout your home swiftly and thoroughly. Many gas furnace owners claim that gas heating is noticeably more comfortable and evenly distributed than rival electric brands. So, all things considered, does Gas Furnace have the goods to win it all?

Electric Furnace

From the very start of the tournament, Electric Furnace admitted its Achilles heel. Yes, a full electric heating system is expensive. There is no getting around the fact that, for the majority of Americans, your monthly heating bills will spike up with an electric system. However, as mentioned above, the once considerable gap between gas furnace costs and electric furnace costs is not quite so large these days. Plus, Electric Furnace is the easiest system to maintain, and a more environmentally friendly option than gas.

And the winner is. . .
. . . Up to you! Not to crush the suspense, but the fact is, choosing between Gas Furnace and Electric Furnace has less to do with quality, and more to do with personal preference and economics. Electric rates are much lower in some parts of the country, make it a far more attractive option. For others, a highly efficient new gas furnace creates a warmer home for a friendlier price, even if that price has risen a bit of late. So, the real winner of the Home Heating Tournament is any heating system that serves your own unique needs efficiently and effectively, without setting you back too much cash or posing an environment hazard. Thankfully, technological advancements have made both gas and electric furnaces capable of meeting all the above standards. So, who is your winner?