# Best choice? - Oil vs gas heat in your home **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-choice-oil-vs-gas-heat-in-your-home/792696 "2017-08-03T14:13:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-choice-oil-vs-gas-heat-in-your-home/792696/21 "2017-08-04T08:09:04Z")
I live in the Virginia Beach area and converted from oil to gas 6 years ago. My final year with oil heat cost about $1,400 and with gas, my average annual heating bill is less than $500. Keep in mind my final year with oil was high because of a spike in price but had I stuck with oil my current heating cost would now be about $1,000 annually. My investment in gas will pay for itself in about 2 years. ---
**Author:** ![dflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dflower/32/3270_2.png) [@dflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dflower)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-choice-oil-vs-gas-heat-in-your-home/792696/22 "2017-08-04T15:36:57Z")
I am surprised that so many of you have such unqualified approval of radiators. I won’t be refitting the house for that. But natural gas seems to be the best choice and I will switch over as soon as I am able. It is bound to help the resale value of the house as well. Thank you all ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-choice-oil-vs-gas-heat-in-your-home/792696/23 "2017-08-04T15:49:13Z")
Do you have one or more fireplaces in your home? Since you have decided to have the gas line run to your house, you might want to think about converting a wood-burning fireplace to gas. Yes, the wood-burning one has a nicer fire, with that wood fire smell and the crackle of the logs. But, gee, the gas one is awfully convenient. No ashes to deal with. No flying cinders to be a concern. We’ve been know to light a fire before dinner to enjoy an aperitif, turn it off, go have dinner, come back to the fireplace and turn it back on for an after-dinner drink. Then turn it off and go to bed with no worries about a smoldering fire in the fireplace. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-choice-oil-vs-gas-heat-in-your-home/792696/24 "2017-08-04T15:56:30Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > From a lower view, converting will cost you more than simply replacing the oil furnace in place will - the additional costs include running a gas line from the street to your house, gas line(s) inside the house, removal of the oil tank, etc. So you have to balance available funds and time to reach break-even on the conversion. Where do you live? Some places (like Massachusetts) offer significant rebates for converting from oil to gas, which could offset a lot of those additional costs. The gas company that serves your address is the place to start, they’ll have a lot of the information you’ll need. This. I’m in MA, we have a dedicated gas line (my house was gas when my parents bought it – they converted it back to oil because my mother was deathly afraid of leaks and fire), and it’d be no problem converting back to gas. Yes, there are rebates galore but the initial $ you’d have to put down on the conversion, not including oil tank removal, etc., is considerable. I can’t afford it, so I’ve been staying with the oil on budget billing. The price fluctuates wildly, but at least with budget billing the amount you pay is locked and depends on how many gallons @ what price you used the previous year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-choice-oil-vs-gas-heat-in-your-home/792696.md?page=1)