The cost of oil compared to natural gas heat, coupled with financial incentives offered through various New Jersey programs are spurring homeowners to make the switch to clean, affordable natural gas. We've partnered with New Jersey Natural Gas to provide you with some great reasons as to why now is the best time to switch to natural gas.

Why now is the time to change to natural gas
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According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the price of oil is more than double the projected cost of natural gas in winter 2013-2014. Recognizing the cost advantages of natural gas, one Ocean County couple made the switch and got the New Jersey Natural Gas Advantage. Edmund and Donna, residents of the Whiting section of Manchester, converted to natural gas, saying “natural gas is a lot less expensive than oil and a heck of a lot cleaner.”

The Price is Right: Making the Switch

Fuel cost savings coupled with high-efficiency rebates and incentives made the decision to convert easier for the couple. “We had natural gas in our previous homes and we wanted natural gas in our new home,” Edmund explained. The homeowners installed a 95% AFUE high-efficiency natural gas furnace and a 98 percent high-efficiency natural gas tankless water heater.

Before the conversion and the new natural gas equipment was installed, Edmund and Donna received a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® (HPwES) audit performed by a Building Performance Institute-certified home energy auditor, which helped them identify estimated energy savings from the planned measures as well as additional energy-efficiency opportunities. The HPwES program offers financial incentives for energy-efficiency improvements based on a home's estimated total energy savings from such measures. The initial home energy audit revealed that Edmund and Donna’s energy-efficiency measures would yield more than 25 percent energy savings. The couple benefitted from the rich HPwES incentives designed to offset the costs of the energy-efficiency upgrades. HPwES rebates are up to $5,000 based on the total energy savings achieved in your home. To help make the installation of the energy-efficiency upgrades even more affordable, the couple took advantage of the NJNG 10-year, fixed 0% APR On-Bill Repayment Program. Qualified homeowners can borrow up to $10,000 on the approved costs of HPwES eligible home improvements. Taking into account total rebates and incentives, Edmund and Donna’s monthly payments are $57.50 for all their energy-efficiency upgrades.

 

The Benefits of Natural Gas

Given the abundant domestic supply of natural gas, homeowners who heat with natural gas can anticipate saving money now and over the long term. “Since converting to natural gas, we have seen monthly cost savings of nearly 40 percent on our energy bills,” the Dunnes emphasized.

 

High-efficiency natural gas equipment provides more useable heat at a lower cost than oil and other competing fuel sources. Moreover, natural gas equipment is extremely efficient, highly dependable and easy to maintain. By converting to natural gas, homeowners reduce the liability associated with oil leaks, do not need to rely on oil deliveries and do not require special oil tank and homeowner’s insurance – all while benefitting from energy efficiency and cost savings.

 

A very special thanks to NJ Natural Gas for providing some very sounds reason why you should switch to natural gas.  Contact the NJNG SAVEGREEN team to find out how you can improve your home’s energy performance. Visit The SAVEGREEN Project or call 877-455-NJNG (6564).

 

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