The cost of electric vs gas heating in Tracy, CA

As winter is fast approaching, many of our clients come to us with questions about their heater and the cost of running a heater in Tracy. Our technicians have a great deal of experience working with furnaces of various makes and models – and we also have access to the facts required to calculate the cost to use either an electric or gas furnace in San Joaquin County. Below is a breakdown of our calculations and the final cost estimates so that you can help make the right decision when it comes to upgrading to a new furnace in Tracy.

How Much Does It Cost To Run an Electric Heater in Tracy?

Now, we’re about to throw some numbers your way, but rest assured that we’ve done all the calculations for you. However, feel free to follow along with us and check our math – we won’t complain. We’ll be comparing both gas and electric furnace rates by calculating the price to produce 1,000,000 BTUs of heat for each heater type. BTU stands for British Thermal Unit – the standard unit for measuring energy use – and the typical American household uses 25-50 million BTUs in just a single winter.

Based on the information provided by Electricity Local, the average cost of electricity in Tracy is $.1559 per kWh (kilowatt hour) for residential customers. One kWh is equal to roughly 3412 BTUs. Dividing 1,000,000 by 3412, we get 293.08 and then multiply that number by the price per kWh. This leaves us with $45.69 per 1,000,000 BTUs for an electric furnace that is running at 100% efficiency and has been properly maintained. Assuming that your household uses 25 million BTUs this winter, that’s $1,142 dollars spent on heating in your Tracy home.

Do the above numbers terrify you? They should. But let’s see what it costs to run a gas furnace in Tracy.

How Much Does It Cost To Run a Gas Heater in Tracy?

According to Natural Gas Local, it cost residents of San Joaquin County an average of $11.85 per thousand cubic feet of natural gas in August 2015. Using this handy website to convert that price into thermal units, we know that it costs $1.15 per thermal to run a gas heater in Tracy. One thermal is equal to 100,000 BTUs. Assuming that your gas furnace is running at 80% efficiency, we’ll multiply the thermal rate by 12 to get $13.80 per 1,000,000 BTUs to run your gas heater in Tracy, CA. So you should expect to spend $345 on the low end and $690 on the high end to operate your gas furnace in the winter of 2015.

Feeling a little better? We are too. And it will also help to know that roughly 70%  of California homes currently heat using gas furnaces. However, 22% still utilize electric heaters in the home (and the remaining 8% have no heater at all). This means that there are still many homes that are spending astronomical amounts of money each winter to heat their houses.

If you know anyone still using an electric furnace, have them call our experts at Irish Heating and Air – we’ll help them install a new gas heater in Tracy today!