Electricity is one of the more popular ways to heat a home, because it has many advantages. Eco-conscious customers, for example, like the fact that utility companies are increasingly relying on wind turbines and other renewable energy generation options, meaning less reliance on fossil fuels.
In addition, home utility companies offer discounts for winter months for customers who use electricity to heat their homes. Some companies also have special discounts for low-income customers. Even if you dont qualify for that discount, electricity tends to be easier to budget for. In many cases, you can set up a payment system that allows you to pay the same amount each month even in the winter, when your electricity use tends to go up. This makes it easier to pay your bills without facing huge increases during colder months. Every so often, you will need to adjust your bill if you end up using more energy than you have been paying for.
Electricity bills may be easier to manage for another reason: When you heat with electricity, you get one bill for your heating costs and electrical use for appliances, so there is one less bill to pay. This can make it easier to budget, as can the fact that you can check your electrical meter periodically to predict how much your next bill will be.
Electricity is also one of the more efficient forms of heating. No heat escapes from your chimney when you heat with electricity and electricity is one of the most flexible forms of heating. You can opt for baseboard heaters, electrical radiators, space heaters, or underfloor heat. A great option with electrical heating is that you can choose to heat your house room by room. You can install thermostats for radiators or other heating systems in every individual room, so that you can turn up the heat or turn it down depending on how warm a room is naturally and depending on how much time you spend in each room.
Of course, as with any heating system, there are disadvantages to electrical heating. One of the drawbacks is that it can be more expensive than fossil fuel-based home heating options. If you are considering heating your home with electricity, you will want to check with your local utility company to determine how much you can expect to pay to heat your home. A larger, older home can especially mean sticker shock when the heating bill arrives. Heating a smaller condo with electricity, however, may not be as expensive as you may think.
Electricity is also not always the most environmentally-convenient choice. Electricity generating power stations sometimes produce a lot of waste heat and carbon emissions and not all areas rely on eco-friendly options for electrical generation. If you are considering electrical heat because you are concerned about the environment, you will need to do some research about your local utility to find out what steps are being taken to make electricity production green. You will also want to take a close look at the heating appliances and other home appliances you will be using. Older, less efficient appliances tend to overuse energy and this can have a negative impact on the environment and on your utility bills. EnergyStar appliances and highly efficient electrical heating systems are important if you want to manage your utility bills and your energy costs. In addition, if you do decide on electricity as a way to heat your home, you will want to learn how to read your meter. Each year, people are overcharged for their heating costs because they do not check their meter or because they fail to manage their bills effectively.
Sam Jones is a regular writer on energy related matters. He likes to pass on energy saving tips like going to uSwitch energy comparison website and using the online comparison facility to secure the cheapest energy prices.
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