I guess this really isn't a DIY question, but I want to research this, and research is a DIY issue! We moved into a house this fall that, surprise!, has electric heat. After getting a $390 electric bill for January, I now ponder the idea of converting to gas. If we already have gas in our home for our hot water heaters, what else would need to be done? New furnace necessarily or just switch out certain components? Some new gas piping inside the home (just the attic?) from the supply line to the furnace... and what else? I've seen discussions on this topic before but the assumption was always that the homeowner had no gas into the house already, as we do. So I'm curious if anyone knows how big a job this would be.
Thank you very much.

answer: you get three bids from reputable licensed heating companies, check the outfits out, pick the right bid.

the contractors will at minimum check the gas supply and meter, and arrange to uprate them if needed... pipe the correct size run and dirt trap to the furnace... remove the old electric unit... make any needed changes to the ducts to attach the new gas furnace... change the thermostat as necessary... install and test.

it would be a good idea to have the whole workbook redone, as different heating zones and house layouts might make the gas conversion require resizing ducts, recalculating the BTU/hour rating for the furnace, and so on.

electric heat is always going to be neck and neck with propane for most expensive heat in a home, but all heating sources rise and fall at about the same rate. it's a pricing equivalence per BTU thing in the larger market.

one thing about natural gas heat... all you really have to power is the furnace motor and controls. a relatively inexpensive generator set back 30 feet from the house could keep you going for a long, long time in the dead of winter if a big ice storm comes along. almost nothing except a backhoe party disrupts commercial gas service.

Another factor is the type of heat. Most electric these days is a heat pump, with only direct resistance used an emergency heat. (And for good reason, talk about making the meter spin!)

Heat pump heat is 'cool' heat, where the air in the ducts is only a few degrees warmer than the room. You stand over a vent to warm up and all you are going to feel is a cool breeze. OTOH, gas heat is warm heat and just feels warmer.

I made the mistake the last time we needed to change out one of our units and went with a dual fuel setup. It's heat pump heat until the outside air reaches a set temperature and then propane after that. I hated the heat pump so much that we have raised the set temperature so that the gas unit cuts in at the highest temperature possible.

to switch out your unit...this is not a quote,,,,
just a wild guess based on my house.
1200 for unit, 1500 for labor
600 for parts sheet metal, insulation and tax..; 3200--3500
3 man crew, done in 1 day

quote:

Originally posted by Frodo:
to switch out your unit...this is not a quote,,,,
just a wild guess based on my house.
1200 for unit, 1500 for labor
600 for parts sheet metal, insulation and tax..; 3200--3500
3 man crew, done in 1 day

Unless it's a tiny 1-ton unit, you are closer to $3,000 to $5,000 for the unit. Possibly less for labor.

i paid $850 for a 2 1/2 ton gas 3 years ago
with my plumbers discount. price has most assurdly came up sence then. we are talking a split system
only the gas air handler not the compressor unit
sence he said just the heat needed changing
i think your price is the whole split system?
i paid $700 for compressor
$850 for air handler 1550 total for a condor
its a trane under a different name
not including line set and freon
or your units are a lot mo expensive in your area?

Wow Frodo, huge price difference. Hard to believe MS and TN could vary so much.

My upstairs unit was replaced a few years back - both parts of a split gas unit. Used the H/A guy that we have worked with for two decades and got everything for right around his cost. No ductwork changes, just replaced the gas furnace unit in the attic space and the outside heat pump for the A/C. $5,300.

i hate to say it....but you didnt get the stuff for his cost..you paid retail. the cost i quoted was my cost
most companies bump up parts by 50 % you know the deal. then charge for laber on top.. your right
tenn. and ms aint that far apart..
altho. you did get a heat pump. pricey .those things are a joke in my opinion. for my part of the country
i am in south ms. 100 miles from new orleans
doesnt get cold enough for a heat pump
call a supply house ion your area, act like you know what your doing, tell them your with brand x hvac company..get a price for a 2 ton unit
tell em you have a customer thats busten your ba()s to get a cheap price.. he will give you a price

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Frodo,

quote:

Originally posted by Frodo:
act like you know what your doing

Well, now I'm going to be insulted!

I've been in the biz for a qtr century and am familiar with the prices. This was top of the line high SEER stuff complicated by a tricky install of the attic unit. Tight access made for a difficult install. While I know that my AC sub made some money, it wasn't that much.

i didnt mean you know nothing. if i gave that impression. i aplogise.. i meant for you, to make him think your a hvac tech.. so he give you the "good" price
your a southern boy, you know what "act like you know something" means lol

No apology needed, I understood what you meant.

Yup, a good 'ol southern boy......born and raised in Hackensack N.J.!