An electric furnace will remove its owners dependency on natural gas, propane, coal, or other fossil fuels, however it may cost them hundreds of dollars in electric bills. Electric furnaces work by heating resistive coils inside the furnace using high current electricity, a blower than pushes air over the heated coils and throughout the home warming the air. It is dependant exclusively on electricity to use; because of this, if a particularly bad storm knocks out your power you will find yourself without heat. This, however, is where the disadvantages of an electric furnace end and the benefits begin. Electric furnaces are often cheaper to purchase and install than most alternatives. The average cost of an electric furnace is around $1,000 and many, large enough to heat a home, sell well below that price. Efficiency ratings on these units are typically 95% to 100%; because they have no heat loss up the chimney or through outside ventilation all of the heat generated stays within the home. Also, there is no piping to run on the install, gas lines to connect, and in most cases additional duct work isn’t even needed. This means that the average installation is around $1,000 to $2,000. Electric furnaces are overall one of the safest types of furnaces you can have in your home. With nothing actually burning in the furnace in order to heat the home there are zero emissions and no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or a gas or chemical leak into the home. Also, this creates a very low chance of a fire due to a spark or ember igniting material in your home. Electric furnaces have a series of safety catches to avoid overheating of the coils. Since most electric furnace utilize multiple coils a sequencer device is used to control which coils get electricity and when. This will help to keep any one coil from over heating. The next stage of overheating/fire protection comes in the form of a limit switch. Should one coil start to exceed the maximum alloted temperature the limit switch will trigger diverting electricity away from the coil until it cools. As a final stage in the circuitry a fusible link is installed as a catch all device. Should the first two safety measures fail to keep coil temperatures low enough the fusible link will melt and break the circuit. This final safety measure is a one shot deal; if the fusible link melts the furnace will need repair. Overall electric furnaces are highly efficient safe alternatives to oil, propane, and gas furnaces. Although they consume a good deal of electricity to run, for those who live in rural areas without natural gas, or who live in areas that don’t have particularly cold winters these are still a viable solution to home heating needs. With the push to go “green” and reduce our carbon foot prints nothing could be as green a choice as a zero emission electric furnace. Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society
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