Electric Heating vs. Natural Gas

Efficiency

• Electric heaters burn fuel more efficiently than gas. Electric heaters are nearly 100 percent efficient, converting almost all electricity into heat. Most gas heaters are 60 percent to 85 percent efficient.

Cost

• Despite the high efficiency of electric heaters, these heaters are generally more expensive to use. Power plants burn fossil fuels to generate and transmit electricity, accounting for the higher cost.

Comfort

• Electric heaters usually run silently and tend to dry the air in the room. Gas heaters use noisy burners and fans. Unvented gas heaters can produce several quarts of water vapor as a byproduct from combustion.

Safety

• Electric heaters emit no dangerous gases. Gas heaters, however, emit carbon monoxide, a toxic gas that, if allowed to build up in an enclosed room, can prove fatal to occupants.