How much do you pay in terms of your utility bills every summer or winter? If you leave your heating and cooling system on for most of these days, you can expect a big bill in the mail. Is there any way to bring this down? Yes, plenty of ways to do this but we are not going to talk about keeping your windows shut and setting your thermostat at a specific temperature range. Instead, we will be discussing fuels. Every fuel is different and using a proper one can bring your bills down.
All across the country, there are four main fuels used for heating and cooling homes: natural gas, propane, electricity and oil. We will discuss all of these one by one.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is one of the most common fuels in the country, and it is the cheapest as well. About 10 years back, gas cost about 80% of oil and now it costs about 50% of oil. The prices of oil have increased but the gas rate is still low. In the entire country, over 50% of the homes use gas as the primary fuel.
The prices of gas are attractive for now. In the time to come, they will probably rise because natural gas is not available in huge quantities or so the industry experts claim.
Electricity
Electricity is another common fuel in the country. Compared to other options, it is quite costly and is not always efficient. In the country, over one third of the homes use electricity as their fuel. As of now, most of these take their electric supply from the grid, but solar power is an attractive option. In recent times, the costs associated with installation have decreased significantly which has led to a massive increase in solar capacity.
Propane
Propane can be regarded as clean fuel, but it is an expensive option and is not being used in many households today. Back in 2007, over 6.5 million homes used it and now this number is at 5.6 million.
Oil
The prices of oil have increased a lot and are still on the rise, making it one of the most expensive options. As such, only 6% people use it.
Source: www.csmonitor.com
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