Your gas furnace does not operate like a stove because it needs electricity to generate the heat necessary to warm your house. A gas furnace is ineffective during a power outage because it needs electricity to power the components that make it work.
Essentially, your gas furnace won't work during an electrical outage because, like nearly every other modern appliance, it at least has some parts that require access to electricity to operate.
You can wire the furnace to use a cord and plug. Then switch the disconnect switch to a receptacle. Then in an emergency you can power the furnace with a portable power station. How long you want to run it is the issue, as the fan can draw a decent amount of power. See the video below.
There is a common misconception that gas appliances are better because they keep working when the lights go out. While natural gas can still flow into your home during a blackout, many appliances still require power to operate.
In summary, while a gas furnace may still produce heat during a power outage (if it has a standing pilot light), it will not be able to effectively heat the home without electricity for the blower fan and other components.
The Furnace Needs a Rest
Simply go to your breaker box, switch the breaker off, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on. Next, If you have a gas furnace, shut off the unit's pilot light and wait until the gas disperses. Finally, push the furnace's reset button to restore its power and operations.
Your furnace is susceptible to electrical problems, and in some cases, power outages can result in severe furnace problems.
Gas stoves use gas to power heating elements inside the oven and burners on the stovetop, but they rely on electricity for ignition. Though you can usually bypass electric ignitions and light gas cooktops manually, other parts of the stove will not work without electricity.
An electric furnace uses electricity to turn on and create heat. So it uses the more expensive resource for the entire time that it's running. A gas furnace uses electricity to turn on, but it uses natural gas to generate heat. That means that you will spend less on energy and utilities to operate a gas furnace.
Because your pilot light relies on natural gas to stay aflame, shutting your gas off will also make your pilot light go out. Luckily, this simple matter can be solved by turning your gas back on and re-lighting the pilot light yourself.
You can switch off the pilot light by turning the knob to the off position. To uphold safety, you can turn off the gas supply to the furnace. But be careful not to turn off the gas supply to the rest of the house. You'll still need it for cooking, cleaning, heating water, and other activities in summer.
In most cases, emergency heat is electric, but it can also run on natural gas or oil. When you manually set the emergency heat on your thermostat, your system bypasses the heat pump and directly accesses either the electric heat strip or the gas or oil furnace.
Heat pumps, furnaces and air conditioners require a lot of energy and will need to each have a dedicated circuit. Ductless mini-split systems and electric baseboard heating is also going to require a dedicated circuit. Some window air conditioners may also require a dedicated circuit.
If there's no electricity or gas, you can stay warm with blankets and sleeping bags. You should stay in a small, well-insulated room with other people to help retain body heat. Find air leaks and place towels around them to reduce heat loss.
They don't rely on electricity to function. Although many have electric ignitions that work with a pilot light, most can be operated manually. This is ideal if there is a power outage in your area. If your electric ignition isn't working, all you have to do is turn on the gas and manually light the system.
Your gas furnace does not operate like a stove because it needs electricity to generate the heat necessary to warm your house. A gas furnace is ineffective during a power outage because it needs electricity to power the components that make it work.
Generally speaking, in a typical central air conditioning system, the AC unit uses electricity, while the furnace often runs on gas. However, there are also electric furnaces available, making it possible for the entire system to be powered by electricity.
With gas prices significantly lower than electricity, running a gas furnace is much more cost-effective than an electric furnace. Replacing a gas furnace ranges from $3,500 to $10,000, with an average cost of $7,000.
Many installed generators run on natural gas with an automatic start when the electric power goes off. They work well. Natural gas will continue to flow if the electricity goes out. However, your furnace won't work without electricity, you need the blower motor to run.
If you use a gas heater or gas furnace heat your home, it won't work without electricity. Although they use gas as a primary source of fuel, the internal components require electricity to function.
- Natural Gas pipeline can provide weeks to months of fuel.
Although your furnace is fuelled by gas, there are some components to it that require electricity to operate. These include: Circuit Boards – Which relay information from the thermostat and the furnace. Relays – Electrically powered switches within the system.
Most gas heat furnaces use less than 600 watts of electricity, or less than half of a typical 15 amp electric circuit.
Leave your heating system turned off until the power stabilizes; otherwise, a power surge can damage your equipment.