Guest opinion: Protecting your home from a gas explosion
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- Drew Tate
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- Don Jarvis
Older Utah residents remember heating their homes with coal and the pollution it caused. Everyone preferred natural gas when it became available because it was far cleaner and more convenient.
But natural gas has its own problems. For instance, local news recently reported five devastating natural gas home explosions causing three deaths in 2024. That is a catastrophic home explosion nearly every other month in our region.
Apparently, most gas explosions come from aging underground pipes. In older neighborhoods, those gas pipes may be 80 years old.
The author of that news article recommended that every homeowner get a natural gas detector, which makes good sense. They are cheap and easily available.
But another way to protect your family is to consider gradually switching to all-electric heating.
You may not realize this is a reasonable option and may have heard stories of high costs of electric heating, because heating a house with outdated electric resistance heating can be impossibly expensive.
In contrast, modern electric heat-pump-based heating and air conditioning systems are extremely efficient and reliable. Several houses in our Provo neighborhood are heated and cooled by widely available heat pump systems that are wonders of modern engineering and keep the owners’ utility bills low.
It may surprise you to learn that you already have at least one heat pump in your home: Your refrigerator keeps food cool by pumping heat out of the unit.
In the summer, a heat pump does the same thing but pumps heat out of your entire house, thereby replacing your air conditioner. But it is reversible, and in the winter it can pump outside heat into your home, replacing your gas furnace with a safer, cleaner, more efficient heating alternative.
Even on the coldest winter days, heat pumps can pull warmth from the air. It may not feel like there’s any heat outside, but ask yourself — could the air be even colder? If so, that means there’s still heat out there to warm your home.
Another option is a “dual-source” heat pump. This is a heat pump plus a furnace system that at low temperatures can burn natural gas. But all-electric heat pumps can adequately heat your home — down to well below zero Fahrenheit, so a dual-source system is not necessary.
Many heat pumps can use your home’s existing ducts, no renovation necessary. Provo City and Rocky Mountain Power offer good rebates for switching from gas to heat pumps and, so far, generous federal tax credits are also available.
Modest rebates are also available for smaller, less-expensive, ductless heat pumps known as “mini-splits.” They have a small condenser outside and one or more fan units inside to distribute hot or cold air. For some houses, this is preferable, requiring no ducts.
Your gas water heater can also be replaced with a heat-pump water heater that pulls heat from the air in your home to heat the water. Heat pump water heaters are efficient, and some can easily be plugged into a 110-volt outlet.
As with a new gas furnace, a heat pump system may be a significant investment. So for many homeowners, it only makes sense to replace an existing furnace, AC or water heater with a heat pump system when your existing unit is nearing the end of its life.
But remember that air conditioners, gas furnaces and gas water heaters seldom last more than 15-20 years.
The key to a successful transition is to anticipate the switch by getting bids for a heat pump system if your present unit is old, but before you have an emergency. Don’t wait until your appliance actually fails, because then you’re likely to choose the path of least resistance: another gas furnace or water heater.
In addition to safety and long-term operating savings, there are other reasons to consider heat pumps. Utah Valley struggles with air quality. Most adults mistakenly think that industries are most to blame. In fact, they are a tiny percentage of the problem. The largest contributors to air pollution are our cars, but the second-largest are our houses, primarily due to burning gas. And as cars get more efficient, our houses are predicted to become the main polluters in Utah Valley by 2050.
It wasn’t long ago that burning coal was the primary means of heating. We made the switch to natural gas, which was very positive. Now it’s time to consider what should happen next. Let’s do our part to ensure that this area remains a wonderful place for our children’s children.
Drew Tate is a software engineer and a Provo environmental volunteer.
Don Jarvis is a retired Brigham Young University professor, is also an environmental volunteer in Provo and is happy with his all-electric home.
