Few questions create more anxiety for homeowners than those involving carbon monoxide. I hear it every winter, usually after someone reads a news story or replaces a smoke detector and starts thinking about what’s happening inside their heating system. The question comes up in different forms, but it always lands in the same place: do electric furnaces produce carbon monoxide, and just as often, do electric furnaces have carbon monoxide at all?
When the system in question is a Goodman MBVK electric furnace, the answer is both reassuring and instructive—but only if you understand how electric heating actually works. Too many homeowners assume that all furnaces behave the same way. They don’t. And misunderstanding that difference leads to unnecessary fear, poor decisions, and sometimes the wrong kind of safety upgrades.
In this article, I’m going to explain carbon monoxide from the ground up, how it’s produced, why electric furnaces like the Goodman MBVK are fundamentally different from gas or oil systems, and what homeowners should still do to protect themselves—even when carbon monoxide isn’t a direct risk from their furnace.
What Carbon Monoxide Actually Is—and Why It Matters
Carbon monoxide, often abbreviated as CO, is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas created when carbon-based fuels burn incompletely. That last part matters: carbon-based fuels.
Natural gas, propane, oil, wood, gasoline—these fuels all contain carbon. When they burn, they release heat, but they also release combustion byproducts. If combustion is incomplete or ventilation is poor, carbon monoxide can accumulate to dangerous levels.
This is why carbon monoxide exposure is a serious concern with fuel-burning appliances. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States, largely due to malfunctioning or improperly vented fuel-burning equipment.
That statistic alone explains why homeowners ask whether their furnace could be producing carbon monoxide—even if it’s electric.
The Short Answer: Do Electric Furnaces Produce Carbon Monoxide?
Let’s answer it plainly.
No. Electric furnaces do not produce carbon monoxide.
The Goodman MBVK electric furnace does not burn fuel of any kind. There is no combustion process. No flame. No exhaust. No vent pipe. Without combustion, carbon monoxide cannot be produced.
So when homeowners ask do electric furnaces produce carbon monoxide, the technically correct answer is no, under normal operating conditions and by design.
That leads directly to the follow-up question I hear just as often.
Do Electric Furnaces Have Carbon Monoxide at All?
Again, the answer is no.
An electric furnace like the Goodman MBVK does not generate, contain, or circulate carbon monoxide internally. There is no source within the furnace capable of creating CO. That means the furnace itself cannot be the origin of carbon monoxide in the home.
When people ask do electric furnaces have carbon monoxide, what they’re really asking is whether the furnace can somehow be involved in a carbon monoxide problem. The answer depends on the larger system and the home—not the furnace.
Why the Goodman MBVK Is Different from Gas Furnaces
To understand why electric furnaces are inherently safer from a carbon monoxide perspective, you need to understand how gas furnaces operate.
A gas furnace:
-
Burns natural gas or propane
-
Uses a burner and heat exchanger
-
Produces exhaust gases
-
Requires venting to the outdoors
Any failure in that chain—cracked heat exchanger, blocked flue, improper draft—can allow carbon monoxide to enter the living space.
The Goodman MBVK electric furnace has none of those components. Heat is generated by electric resistance elements, similar in concept to an electric stove or clothes dryer. Electricity flows through the element, it heats up, air passes over it, and warm air enters the duct system.
No combustion. No exhaust. No carbon monoxide.
For homeowners comparing heating system types, the U.S. Department of Energy provides clear explanations of how electric heating systems differ from fuel-burning furnaces in both operation and safety profile.
Why Homeowners Still Smell “Something” with Electric Furnaces
Despite the lack of combustion, some homeowners report odors when their electric furnace runs, especially at the beginning of the heating season. This often triggers fear about carbon monoxide.
In reality, these smells are usually caused by:
-
Dust burning off heating elements
-
New components off-gassing during initial operation
-
Airflow moving through ducts that haven’t been used in months
These odors can be unpleasant, but they are not carbon monoxide. CO has no smell. If you smell something, it is not carbon monoxide.
This distinction is critical and often misunderstood.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Electric Furnaces
Here’s where nuance matters.
Even though the Goodman MBVK electric furnace does not produce carbon monoxide, that does not mean a home with an electric furnace is immune to CO risks.
Carbon monoxide can still be present in homes with electric heating due to:
-
Attached garages
-
Gas water heaters
-
Fireplaces
-
Gas stoves or ovens
-
Portable generators
-
Outdoor equipment running near openings
That’s why I always recommend carbon monoxide detectors regardless of heating type. The furnace may not be a source, but the home environment still can be.
Organizations like Underwriters Laboratories set the safety standards for carbon monoxide detectors and outline proper placement guidelines that apply to all residential structures.
The Role of Ventilation in Electric Furnace Homes
Another misconception I encounter is the idea that electric furnaces eliminate the need for ventilation awareness. While they remove combustion-related risks, they don’t remove the need for healthy indoor air practices.
Proper ventilation matters for:
-
Indoor air quality
-
Moisture control
-
Off-gassing from household materials
-
Pollutant dilution
Electric furnaces like the MBVK rely on airflow more than exhaust, but airflow alone does not replace ventilation strategies.
This is especially important in newer, tighter homes where pollutants can accumulate more easily.
When Carbon Monoxide Alarms Go Off in Electric Furnace Homes
This is one of the most stressful situations homeowners face. The alarm sounds, panic sets in, and the furnace gets blamed.
In homes with a Goodman MBVK electric furnace, a carbon monoxide alarm activation almost always points to a source other than the furnace itself.
Common culprits include:
-
Vehicles running in attached garages
-
Gas water heaters back-drafting
-
Fireplaces with blocked chimneys
-
Neighbors’ exhaust infiltrating shared walls
Understanding that do electric furnaces have carbon monoxide is a question with a clear “no” answer helps narrow down the real source faster and avoid unnecessary furnace replacements or repairs.
Electric Furnaces, Power Outages, and Safety
Another advantage of electric furnaces from a carbon monoxide standpoint is how they behave during power outages.
When the power goes out, an electric furnace shuts down completely. It does not continue producing heat, fumes, or exhaust. There is no risk of incomplete combustion during a loss of power.
That said, homeowners sometimes introduce carbon monoxide risk during outages by using portable generators or fuel-burning heaters indoors. This has nothing to do with the furnace, but it’s a common scenario.
The National Fire Protection Association provides extensive guidance on safe generator and auxiliary heating use during power outages, particularly in all-electric homes.
Comparing Electric Furnaces and Gas Furnaces on Safety
From a pure carbon monoxide perspective, electric furnaces like the Goodman MBVK have a clear advantage. They eliminate an entire category of risk.
However, safety is not one-dimensional.
Electric furnaces introduce other considerations:
-
High electrical loads
-
Breaker sizing
-
Proper grounding
-
Electrical component integrity
These are different risks, not greater ones. And they are generally easier to manage with proper installation and inspection.
Installation Quality Still Matters
While electric furnaces do not produce carbon monoxide, improper installation can still create unsafe conditions.
Examples include:
-
Overloaded electrical panels
-
Improperly sized breakers
-
Loose electrical connections
-
Inadequate airflow causing overheating
These issues won’t produce carbon monoxide, but they can create fire hazards or system failures. Safety doesn’t end with eliminating combustion.
The Goodman MBVK as a Long-Term Safety Choice
In my professional opinion, the Goodman MBVK electric furnace is a strong option for homeowners prioritizing simplicity and combustion-free operation.
Its design eliminates:
-
Gas leaks
-
Combustion air requirements
-
Venting failures
-
Heat exchanger cracks
That alone answers the question do electric furnaces produce carbon monoxide more convincingly than any marketing brochure ever could.
What Homeowners Should Take Away
Let me summarize this clearly.
-
Electric furnaces do not burn fuel
-
Without combustion, carbon monoxide cannot be produced
-
The Goodman MBVK electric furnace does not generate or contain carbon monoxide
-
Carbon monoxide detectors are still essential due to other household sources
If you’re asking do electric furnaces have carbon monoxide, the answer is no—but safety still requires awareness beyond the furnace itself.
Final Thoughts from the Field
Carbon monoxide is a serious issue. It deserves respect, not fear-driven assumptions. The Goodman MBVK electric furnace removes one of the largest residential CO risks simply by design.
When homeowners understand how their system works, they stop worrying about the wrong things and start focusing on what actually keeps their home safe: proper installation, good airflow, routine inspections, and appropriate detection equipment.
Electric furnaces don’t produce carbon monoxide—but informed homeowners prevent it from becoming a problem anywhere else in the house.
That’s the difference between peace of mind and unnecessary panic, and it’s why understanding your heating system matters just as much as owning it.
