Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As New York State pushes for a ban on gas appliances like stoves and furnaces come 2030, how much interest is there in homeowners getting electric furnaces? Heating services tell WBEN they're noting some interest and say they're getting a few calls.
Mike Dollendorf of Roy's Plumbing and Heating says he's seen an uptick in interest in electric furnaces, but not as many sales. "People want to know about it, and people generally do want to help the environment, and if they can do a clean heat situation they'd like to so people are asking about it," says Dollendorf. "We find that most of the the heat pump systems that we're putting in are more geared towards a specialized installation." But he believes a mandate is a mistake. "Western New York is a heating (community), we could get away without air conditioning, but we have to have heat and quite honestly, with the the electric grid and is overtaxed as it already is. I just don't know if the added stress on it's going to help us," says Dollendorf, who admits he prefers gas to electric for heating.
Chris Tryjankowski of PCS Plumbing says he's been getting a single digit percentage increase in interest in electric furnaces, mainly because of state rebates. "It makes people more aware of it, and I think the incentive to do it, just brings people it makes it makes them forefront in their mind, I guess they start thinking about a little bit more," says Tryjankowski.
Tryjankowski says he's not getting a lot of orders for electric heating, but does give customers who ask the pros and cons. "We tell them, 'Yes, we could do that, here's what it would be to replace your gas, here's what it would be to replace your gas with electric' and let them make the decision," says Tryjankowski. He says electric furnaces are very efficient, the installation cost is a little bit higher because you have to disconnect and reconnect. "We haven't really done all the homework and compare long road in 10 years from now, what will cost you less to run over those 10 years, mainly, because we don't know what the cost of the energy would be, electric versus gas, year by year," explains Tryjankowski.
Neither say they've had calls about geothermal furnaces.
