When we initially bought our house, it was heated by an oil furnace.
The system was rather old but still operating reliably.
I wasn’t happy about having a gigantic fuel tank sitting in the yard. It meant that every fall, I needed to call the oil company and schedule service. I then needed to wait around for the servicemen to show up. We were always at risk of running out of fuel due to delivery delays. The brutal winters in our area can sometimes result in driving bans, putting everything behind. I worried about my family being left without heat in the middle of a nasty winter blizzard. When the temperature drops into the negative digits, it can be downright dangerous. There was also the possibility of water pipes freezing. Our winter conditions sometimes linger for six to eight months. I was also concerned about the tank potentially leaking and the size of our carbon footprint. I knew that switching to natural gas would reduce our household CO2 emissions by up to 27%. Natural gas is cheaper than oil, provides more consistent prices and is cleaner. We lived with that oil furnace for several years. When it started to show signs of failing, I asked the HVAC professional about the possibility of converting to natural gas. The process was rather involved and expensive. However, it was definitely worth it. We were able to purchase a much more energy efficiency furnace. The savings on our monthly heating bill helps to offset the cost. The new furnace provides a significant improvement in comfort as well as air quality. We upgraded to cost-saving and convenient features such as zone control and smart thermostats with wifi connectivity.