Robert Gammon wrote:

Clark W. Griswold, Jr. wrote:
wrote:


But clearly this whole argument against nat
gas heat is all based on emotion, rather than fact. The price of
heating oil varies. The price of nat gas varies. Over the past, in my
experience, they have been similar enough in their total cost that it's
not a major difference.


There is definitely some regional bias involved. Historically, the US east coast
has used fuel oil for heat, so there tends to be a "this is how we've always
done it, so it must be right" mentality going on.

20+ years ago, oil was substantially more expensive than natural gas. The east
coast didn't have the supply infrastructure to distribute natural gas, so few
could take advantage of that differential.

With all the EPA restrictions on new power plants, utilities built gas fired
plants which sucked up most of the surplus gas and drove natural gas prices up
closer to fuel oil.

ConnocoPhillips has an interesting article with graphics that shows price
differences over the past 5 years:

http://www.conocophillips.com/newsro...eating_oil.htm

This graph is VERY VERY telling.

It says that in all but two of the last 6 heating seasons, it has been
CHEAPER to heat with Natural gas and in the two exception years, they
were very very close to equal cost.

So the choice in heating systems is LARGELY dictated by where you live,
NOT what costs more. Northeast states consume 70% of heating oil.
Choices there are heating oil or electricity with minor contributions
from other sources. But only 1/3 of residences there have oil heat. The
rest of the country, its either gas (natural gas via pipleine, or
propane in tanks on your property) or electricity.

Safety is not the issue, cost is not the issue, its what your neighbors
use and what choices you have for heating fuel. To argue with someone
in Pennsylvania or New York that natural gas is the fuel of choice is
fool hardy.

When I lived in Pennsylvania, the gas heat there worked just as well as anywhere else.
What is your issue with natural gas service in Pennsylvania and New York?

To argue with someone in Kansas that fuel oil is the fuel
of choice is similarly fool hardy. Outside the northeast, the
infrastructure to support fuel oil for heat is lacking. In the
northeast, natural gas distribution is spotty at best.

So this discussion needs to STOP.

These are newsgroups. Discussion happens, and you cannot "STOP" it on demand. Sorry

Each person who is faced with a
decision on a furnace will rely on personal experience, the advice of
one or more HVAC contractors, the advice of friends and neighbors..
What we say here is heavily influenced by where we live and what we are
used to. There is no single RIGHT answer that applies to everyone.

Of course.