Natural Gas vs Oil: What’s the Best Home Heating Option?

Natural Gas vs Oil

The average growth rate for all occupations is 7% in the United States. But, when it comes to plumbers, that number sores to a whopping 16%, and it’s no real surprise.

More and more people need regular home maintenance to keep their spaces in good working order, especially during the winter. In fact, keeping a home hot during winter is most peoples’ main priority. If you’re one of them, you need to choose the right heating option.

Read on to find out more about which is the best heating option between natural gas vs oil for a boiler.

Comparing the Prices of Natural Gas vs Oil

When choosing between oil and natural gas heating systems, you need to look at the price of each. But, there are various factors to consider. These include:

  • The price of each type of boiler
  • The installation costs
  • The cost of switching from gas to oil or vice versa
  • The heating costs of oil vs gas

While the price of gas delivered to residential consumers remains at around $9.06 per thousand cubic feet, gas and oil prices are volatile. With this in mind, make sure to do your research and create a budget for each option before jumping in headfirst.

Which Heating Option Is the Most Energy-Efficient?

When it comes to energy efficiency, both perform well. A high-quality oil boiler will give you more or less the same level of energy efficiency as a standard gas boiler. If you’re changing your boiler to make it more energy-efficient, you don’t need to switch between gas and oil. Just upgrade your boiler model to a more energy-efficient one.

Boiler Maintenance

When it comes to boiler maintenance, oil models are more likely to leak and need more regular servicing. Despite this, condensing gas models have very expensive parts that are harder to find.  While they don’t require the same level of attention, these parts can add up to more than the regular maintenance costs of oil models.  Also, it’s worth mentioning that new oil boilers tend to be easier to maintain and service than older ones. As a rule of thumb, always go for a modern model to be safe.

Durability and Longevity

The average life expectancy of a good quality oil boiler is 13 to 25 years whereas a gas boiler will usually last between 10 and 15. That said, there are newer more expensive models that can last up to 20 if serviced and maintained correctly.  There are two parts of an oil boiler that are more susceptible to breaking. These are the chamber and the circulator pump. Gas boilers rarely break down and are very durable despite having a shorter lifespan.

So, What’s the Verdict?

Well, when it comes to choosing between natural gas vs oil boilers, it depends on your home and needs. Both types of boilers come with their own set of pros and cons. All in all, the repair costs for both are the same and range between $300 and $800 depending on the issue.  To find out which type of boiler would best suit your home, contact us today. We’d be happy to schedule a visit to give you our professional opinion.

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