THE BIG QUESTION RIGHT NOW SEEMS TO BE GAS OR ELECTRIC?

Like so many things it depends. Gas has been the low cost standard for decades and still provides high efficiency, dependability and quality. Electric on the other hand has been famously expensive because energy producers run at about 30% efficiency when making electricity. You are producing heat to make electricity then converting that electricity back into heat. Until recently the choice has been clear, use natural gas. Now with rising gas prices and innovations in technology, electric furnaces have become a competitive choice for many glass makers. So, how do you know what you need. First be aware that you are making an investment that will be with you for a long time. If your furnace is well made it should last decades. Where will gas prices be in 10 years? Where will electric rates be in 10 years? Right now electric seems to be generally attractive but electric rates are starting to go up quite significantly. We look at efficiency knowing that over the long haul the most efficient furnace will be the cheapest to operate regardless of the fuel source unless you are in a unique situation where you do not pay typical utility rates. (There is the example of Simon Pierce who generate their own electric) A straight conversion of BUTs to kWh shows that electric is generally twice as expensive as gas. Therefore electric furnaces must be more than twice as efficient to save you significant operating costs. This can sometimes mean a fragile furnace that is not very durable with increased maintaince costs and a shorter lifetime eliminating your savings.

How do we judge efficiency? First by the scale of your operation. If you are melting 100lbs of glass and charging once a week electric can be extremely efficient. The reduction in heat loss from a sealed chamber and the heat energy produced by the elements per cu.ft. provides a very efficient low cost furnace. What would compromise this decision? How often you gather will undo the biggest advantage of electric over gas, more so than charging. Because gas is always exhausting heat, opening the door to gathering does not change the heat loss dynamic of a gas furnace that much. Electric on the other hand experiences a tremendous change and the amount of energy (money) needed to recover is greater. Is this significant? Again it's a matter of scale. If you are making production Christmas ornaments, gathering once a minute there is a huge difference. Electric is efficient when sealed and not when constantly opened. On the other hand if you open the door of your furnace for 10 seconds once every 30 minutes then your furnace is almost always sealed and efficient. Finally, how long is your work day? Do you work for 4 hr a day by yourself or is your shop going 16hr a day with renters. Again this will influence how much your efficiency is compromised. Generally the smaller the scale the greater the benefit from electric. A big shop like Pilchucks would not benefit from glowing electric elements as a heat source while trying to accommodate 50 students working for 20 hr a day out of a 1500lb continuous melting furnace. You never see this arrangement in industry.

Yea, but there's a lot of glass blowers working in between 100lbs of glass and 1500lbs of glass, how do we decide? This is a more difficult choice. The principles above apply at any scale but in the intermediate range of 250lbs to 400lbs it requires really looking at your unique situation. The local utility rates can have a big impact on your choice. If your electric rates are $0.15/kwh you are looking at from $750/mo to $1350/mo realistically as a bill for moderate to heavy usage. If your rates are $0.22/kwh then you are looking at $1200/mo to $2000/mo and if they are $0.07/kwh then you are looking at $365/mo to $630/mo. BE AWARE THAT MANY STATES ARE RAISING ELECTRIC RATES 60% RIGHT NOW. You do the math. The bottom line is that electric furnaces are very sensitive to operational inconsistencies. The amount of glass you work and the unit cost of electricity are good guidelines to look at to help you decide. A lot of evidence points to the potential of some significant savings in energy costs by using electric heaters to melt glass on the studio level. If it adds up that an electric furnace is for you we can help with a new line of electric pot furnaces. Don't take our word for it, do some research, get some facts and buyer beware of outrageous claims. Some so called awesome ultra efficient electric furnaces did not live up to their hype and can't be found any more. An electric furnace advertised to cost $350/mo 3 years ago actually cost one customer $2000/mo due to the actual rates of the owner. This is an expensive mistake to make while trying to make a living. Also don't get bogged down in the silly argument of Moly vs, Silicon Carbide. Talk to I Squared R a manufacturer of both types of elements. They don't make a big distinction as to which is better. Each has its pros and cons but it is not worth all the fuss. If properly used both can work well in an electric furnace, besides wouldn't you rather just blow glass!

Hopefully some of this information will be useful as you try to decide on the best alternatives for your shop. Whether you decide on a gas fired or electric furnace we certainly think ours are the best. We would hope you would look to us for all your studio needs