There has been much talk in recent years about banning gas furnaces. Some places may indeed start phasing out gas furnaces in the future, and there are also new regulations around them that could go into effect. As to whether there will eventually be a country-wide ban on gas furnaces, that remains to be seen. In this article, we’ll look at some of the different changes that may be coming and why so that you know what you can potentially expect in the future.
An Overview of the Rule Changes Around Gas Furnaces
As of writing, California is the only state that has concrete plans to fully ban the installation of all gas furnaces in the future. This ban is set to go into effect in 2030 and would require that all new heating units produce zero carbon emissions. That means the only options at that time will be any type of electric heating, such as a heat pump, electric furnace or an electric boiler for homes with radiant heating. Once the ban goes into effect, it won’t force people to immediately get rid of their gas furnaces. Instead, it will just mean that the person won’t be able to replace their furnace with a new gas unit once the old unit fails.
Some other states and cities have begun making moves to at least ban or limit the use of gas furnaces in new homes, and some places like New York City have gone even further by not allowing natural gas hookups to be installed in new buildings. For instance, Washington state has a rule that will soon go into effect that requires all new homes to be heated with a heat pump. However, this rule doesn’t actually ban gas furnaces since it allows them to be used during periods of extreme cold. All it requires is that every new home has a heat pump.
Massachusetts also recently passed a law that will allow certain cities and municipalities to restrict or completely ban the use of natural gas in new buildings, but no place in the state has taken this step as of yet. Minnesota is another state that is currently debating a rule change that would pave the way to potentially banning the use of natural gas, propane and heating oil in all homes and commercial buildings. It’s also unclear whether this change will go through since other Minnesota lawmakers and working to create a law that would prevent the state from being able to institute such a ban.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) also proposed new regulations surrounding gas furnaces in 2022. These rule changes have yet to be approved and it’s currently unclear whether or not they will actually end up going through. If approved, the regulations wouldn’t completely ban the use of gas furnaces. However, they would eventually ban the production, importation and sale of almost all conventional or non-condensing gas furnaces. That’s because the regulations would require that all non-weatherized gas furnaces used in homes and all types of gas furnaces used in mobile homes be at least 95% efficient. The highest efficiency a non-condensing furnace can achieve is 89%. That said, most units are only around 80% efficient, which has been the minimum requirement for all gas furnaces since 1991.
Differences Between Condensing and Non-Condensing Furnaces
The purpose of the DOE’s proposed regulations is to cut down on carbon emissions from heating systems. All gas furnaces release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since it is one of the natural byproducts produced when natural gas burns. If you compare a condensing and non-condensing furnace of the same size, both will produce the same amount of carbon emissions since they both burn the same amount of natural gas at the same rate. Where there is a difference is that condensing furnaces utilize more of the heat produced by the burning gas. That results in them putting out more heat. This means they don’t need to run as long as non-condensing furnaces do, which is why they produce less carbon emissions overall.
The reason that condensing furnaces can better utilize the heat they produce is that they have two heat exchangers whereas non-condensing furnaces only have one. The way that all gas furnaces work is that the hot combustion fumes produced by the burning gas get drawn up through the metal tubes that make up the heat exchanger. The combustion fumes contain so much heat that they quickly cause these tubes to get extremely hot. As the furnace fans draws air over the tubes, heat flows out of the metal and instantly raises the temperature of the air to approximately 140 degrees.
The problem with non-condensing furnaces is that a large portion of the heat isn’t captured by the heat exchanger tubes. That means up to 20% of the natural gas the furnace burns is wasted due to so much heat remaining in the combustion fumes when they flow outside through the exhaust flue. The secondary heat exchanger in a condensing furnace allows the unit to capture more heat from the fumes before they flow outside. This is why the best condensing furnaces waste less than 2% of the gas they burn.
Comparing Gas Furnaces and Heat Pumps
The other purpose of most of the proposed rule changes surrounding gas furnaces is to encourage people to switch over to heating their home or commercial building with a heat pump. Heat pumps are unique in that they technically don’t use energy to produce heat like furnaces and every other type of electric heating. Instead, the electricity they consume is used to capture heat from outside the building and transfer it inside to raise the indoor air temperature, and they do this by using refrigerant. The easiest way to understand how a heat pump works is like an air conditioner in reverse. Air conditioning uses refrigerant to remove heat from indoors and then transfer it outside, and heat pumps just do the opposite when heating.
Heat pumps are the best option for heating a home in places like the Southeast and Southwest that stay fairly warm throughout the winter. They can also be used in colder places like Minnesota, but not throughout the entire winter. That’s because they tend to heat incredibly slowly and not all that effectively in much colder temperatures. This is why you also need some form of supplementary heating for the times when it’s too cold for the heat pump to work well enough to keep your home sufficiently warm. That’s why some people are now choosing to install dual-fuel heating systems that have both a gas furnace and a heat pump. This type of system is more expensive, but it will reduce the carbon emissions from your heating system. Your heating costs will also be lower whenever the heat pump is running since it is quite a bit more energy efficient than the furnace.
Northern Air Plumbing & Heating has been the premier HVAC service in Aitken, Brainerd and the surrounding areas since 1991. We offer expert heating and air conditioning installation as well as the full range of maintenance and repair services. Whether you’re looking to install a new furnace or heat pump or need any other HVAC or plumbing service, contact us today to get the reliable, professional help you need.
Tags: Furnace Repair, gas furnace