You might feel frustrated with your monthly energy bills and wonder if a space heater is a more cost-effective way to heat your Modesto home. Space heaters are portable, compact, and affordable. However, using one instead of your furnace is not going to save you money, it’s not going to keep your home warmer, and space heaters come with a few downsides that would have most homeowners thinking twice before relying on a space heater instead of a furnace.
Space Heaters Heat One Room at a Time
Most people opt for space heaters in their homes to keep one or two rooms warm for the majority of the day, assuming that heating the rest of the home is less important. While this may seem like a budget-friendly idea, there are drawbacks. Only heating specific rooms and leaving the rest of the home cold can pose a threat to plumbing along external walls, potentially leading to freezing and burst pipes.
Conversely, some might think that installing a space heater in every room is a cost-effective way to maintain warmth. However, the opposite is true. Using space heaters for multiple rooms or continuously in one room will have detrimental effects on your electric bill.
Space heaters consume significant energy relative to the heat they generate. Additionally, if you’re heating only one room and open a door, the temperature drops immediately, requiring the space heater to use more electricity to reheat the space.
Why Furnaces Are a More Efficient Option
A furnace has significantly more power than a space heater. Furnaces are designed to heat an entire house using a relatively small amount of electricity or gas each day. Modern furnaces, in particular, are highly energy-efficient compared to their predecessors, making them a superior option to relying solely on a space heater.
If you find that your furnace is struggling to heat your home effectively or if you notice a constant increase in energy bills, you can take steps to enhance its efficiency. First, have our technicians at Honey's Air & Solar inspect your furnace to ensure it is running properly and is adequately maintained. Additionally, regularly check your furnace’s filters. Clean filters are essential to an efficient and effective furnace.
If your furnace is nearing the end of its lifespan, consider replacing it with a new model featuring modern improvements in efficiency. This could lead to a decrease in your monthly energy bills and an improvement in your home’s comfort level. Another option is to use a programmable thermostat, which comes at a similar cost to a decent space heater but can significantly enhance energy savings.
Consider the Option of a Heat Pump
A heat pump is an HVAC system that transfers heat from one place to another. It can extract heat from the outdoor air, even in very cold temperatures, transfer that heat to a liquid refrigerant, pump the refrigerant into a coil inside the home, heat the coil, and then distribute the warmed air throughout the house. Conveniently, most heat pumps can also cool your home if switched to operate in reverse during summer.
One of the advantages of a heat pump is its efficiency in heating your home. Heat pumps use relatively small amounts of electricity to transfer heat between spaces. They are most effective in areas with moderate winters. However, in regions where winter temperatures regularly drop below zero, heat pumps may be less efficient compared to a furnace.
Due to their fewer moving parts, heat pumps are durable and typically have a lifespan of around 15 years, slightly less than a well-maintained furnace.
Choosing between a heat pump and a furnace should be based on individual circumstances. Homeowners in warm climates can benefit from the efficiency of a heat pump. In contrast, those in colder climates with access to natural gas might prefer a furnace for its simplicity and efficiency. In any case, both a furnace and a heat pump are preferable to a space heater.
Trust Your Number One Source for Year-Round Indoor Comfort
At Honey's Air & Solar, we have served Modesto and the surrounding areas for several years. We understand that your home is your sanctuary. That’s why we strive to show integrity and respect in all the things we do for our customers. As a result of our work, we have won several awards and have garnered many positive reviews.
Our services include HVAC installation, maintenance, and repair. We install Wi-Fi thermostats with connectivity and offer solar services. Contact Honey's Air & Solar today to see how sweet working with a quality contractor can be.
