Natural Gas or Heat Pump in Oregon

 Daughter just purchased a small house in Eugene, OR.  Currently It has
an oil fired floor furnace for heat and she wants to replace it with a
central heat/ac system. I've always understood that gas was cheaper
than heating with a heat pump but when she asks around she gets
conflicting opinons. Neither of us has experience with utility costs in
Eugene We realize natural gas is going to be at least temporarily more
expensive than it used to be.  Do you think it would be better to
install a gas furnace/ac or a heat pump in a 1000 sq foot house.  A
heat pump would require supplemental electric heat.  The house
currently does not have natural gas but it is available in the street.
Thanks for you input.

 

It's tough right now to answer the question.  In the midwest natural gas
rates have been shooting up each month. I tried to lock in a winter contract
today; but the only fixed-rate offers were more than double last winter's.
It's going to be a scary and expensive winter for gas-heated homes.

Heat pumps are reliable and work well in moderate climates, but they do
require supplemental electric heat when temperatures go below freezing
unless you have the land or water source to use a ground effect heat pump
system. My daughter in Montana just installed a heat pump system with
supplemental electric coils, but the bulk of the heating will be done with a
high-efficiency wood/pellet stove. She couldn't resolve the electric/gas
utility cost predictions except that costs for both were going to go up
there too.

You might start with the Eugene electric utility folks to see what they're
predicting for rate increases over the next months to years.  Also ask the
gas supplier although I doubt that they can do more than guess.  If your
daughter has an oil tank that's big enough for the winter, it might be that
oil will be the cheapest solution if she can get it filled before the
heating season starts and prices rise.

TKM

 I am an A/C heating contractor in N Fla. In your climate I would advise
nat gas for your heating needs. In the north your winters are colder
than down here in the south and a heatpump will not provide you with
the heat you need. It will get most of the heat by running the back up
heat strips which will cost you more in electric than the gas.
   I just built a new home and installed all Gas apliances in the home.
My utility bills are much lower than they were in my last home with
electric appliances. I just filled the gas tank (LP) for alittle over
500.00 and that should last me throughthe winter.
    Another thought is to check the insulation in the home.the more you
have in the actic the better! walls and windows are important but most
of the heat loss will go through the roof.  Hope this helps. Steve

 
You can get heat pump systems that use gas as the supplemental
heat source instead of electric coils.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.