Comparing Heating Systems: Oil vs. Gas vs. Electric

If you’re building, buying or replacing a heating system in Connecticut, you’ll usually be choosing between three fuels: heating oil, natural gas or electricity. Each one makes sense for some homes and not for others. Here’s how they compare on the things homeowners ask us about most.

What it costs to run

Fuel prices move around, so the cheapest option one winter isn’t always the cheapest the next. Heating oil prices follow the wholesale market and can change week to week. That’s why we post our price every day, so you can see what you’ll pay before you order.

Natural gas has often been cheaper per unit of heat, but only if there’s a gas main on your street. Plenty of homes in Eastern Connecticut don’t have one, and running a new line can cost thousands before you burn anything.

Electric baseboard heat is cheap to install and expensive to run, because Connecticut electric rates are among the highest in the country. Heat pumps change that math. They use far less electricity than baseboard, though they still cost more upfront than a boiler or furnace swap.

Efficiency

Efficiency is measured as AFUE: the share of the fuel’s energy that ends up as heat in your house. A newer oil boiler or furnace typically runs in the mid-80s, and a few high-efficiency models reach the 90s. An older system that’s been neglected can be far lower.

Condensing gas furnaces can hit 95 to 98 percent. Heat pumps are different again. They move heat instead of making it, so they can deliver two or three units of heat for each unit of electricity. They do lose some of that edge in very cold weather.

Environmental impact

Burning heating oil releases more carbon dioxide per unit of heat than natural gas. Blending in biodiesel, sold as Bioheat, cuts that, and Connecticut law is gradually raising the required blend. Gas burns cleaner at the furnace, but methane leaking from pipelines adds to its overall footprint.

Electric heat is only as clean as the power grid behind it. With rooftop solar or a renewable supply plan, it can be the lowest-emission choice of the three.

Safety

Heating oil is hard to ignite. You can’t light it with a match, and it doesn’t explode the way gas can. When an oil burner has a problem, you’ll usually notice smoke, soot or an odor long before it’s dangerous.

Gas systems are safe when installed and serviced properly, but a leak can lead to fire or carbon monoxide. That’s why gas homes need detectors and an annual check. Electric heat has no combustion at all, so there’s no carbon monoxide risk from the system itself. Old wiring and space heaters are its weak spots.

Whatever fuel you use, put a carbon monoxide detector on every floor of your home.

Which one makes sense for you?

If you already heat with oil and your boiler or furnace is in decent shape, keeping it maintained is usually the least expensive path. If it’s 20 years old or more, it’s worth pricing out a modern, more efficient oil system against a heat pump, or against gas if a line runs to your street. Many Connecticut homes now pair a heat pump for milder days with oil for the coldest stretches.

Not sure where your system stands? Contact our team in Groton and we’ll talk through your options, or check today’s heating oil price.