Customer Services > Electric Heating Advantages
Electric Heating is a great deal for several reasons
Electric heating is safe without an open flame. The air source heat pump central heating and cooling system (the most common type of heat pump) is a proven technology that has been in widespread use for decades. Electric heat is a good value because:
- Heat pumps don’t burn a fuel to create heat, but rather capture heat from outside air and moves it indoors. The cost of running a compressor motor to ‘move’ heat is much less than ‘creating’ heat from the electricity or other fuel. Today’s efficient heat pumps can operate effectively down to temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees before needing an assist. For most of the hours of a entire winter season heat pumps move 2 to 3 times the heat into your home as the energy consumed in electricity to run the compressor motor. That’s 200% to 300% efficient.
- NeNPPD rates are reasonable and have remained very stable over the last 7 years (rate increases have on average occurred only every other year and have typically been 5%....that’s less than the rate of inflation.)
Comparing the cost of fuel alone:
1 kilowatt-hour is equivalent to 3,413 British Thermal Units (a BTU is a standard measure of heat) and costs 6.2¢ in the winter.
1 gallon of propane contains 91,000 BTUs or equals 27 kWhs and costs $1.75 or about 4% more than electricity.
1 Therm of natural gas contains 100,000 BTUs or about 30 kWh and costs $1.86 per Therm* or about the same as electricity.
The big difference is the efficiency of the equipment. The gas equipment is typically between 80% and 95% efficient while the heat pump is typically 100% to 300% efficient depending on outside temperature. This means that over the 7 month winter season a heat pump can do the job of heating your home for about half the costs of propane or natural gas. A ground source heat pump, uses the constant temperature of the earth (40 degrees) to heat and cool a home and phenomenally efficient.
For more information and to use a free heating cost calculator, click onto \www.nppd.com/My_Home/default.asp and select “Residential heating cost calculator”.
*Based on rates from Black Hills Energy (2010) for 15 Therms of gas including the Basic Charge of $15.00 per month.
May 25, 2010