For those who live in climates where winters are cold, having a heating system in your home is one of the most important things. When it comes to choosing a furnace that is best for you home, there are several things to consider. Three of the most pertinent details about whichever furnace you choose for your home will be its size, efficiency, and type. Combined, these three things will ultimately determine how many years you can use your new furnace, along with how much your utility bill will be during the winter months of those years.
When considering efficiency, it is always a good idea to get the most efficient furnace that you can afford for you home. Furnace efficiency is measured based on the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) scale, which is a measure of what percent of the input energy in a furnace is then converted into heat for your home. To comply with national standards, all furnaces are required to have at least an 80 percent AFUE scale. Some of the most efficient furnaces on the market have AFUE ratings of 97 percent, which means that a mere three percent of energy expended is wasted. Wasting less energy, in turn, means that your utility bill will be lower, which in turn means that purchasing a more efficient furnace saves money in the long term.
Even though efficiency is certainly something to consider when buying a furnace, there are plenty of others things to take into account, too. Here are few of them:
System Type
In the HVAC world, there are two primary types of heating and cooling units. One is a packaged system, and one is a split system. In a split system, as the name implies, the heating and cooling components are separated into two separate areas. This is the typical route that a homeowner would choose, but packaged systems are becoming more popular. With a packaged system, the heating and cooling units are combined into one. This means that the packaged system takes up significantly less space than its split counterpart, which makes it a great option for those who do not have a basement, crawl space, or attic for a split system. Fortunately, if you currently have one unit but would like to switch to another, this can easily be done. Whether you want to switch to a packaged system to save some space or whether you want to switch to a split system for increased efficiency, a quick call to your local contractor can reveal just how easy it is to make this switch.
Fuel Source
Thanks to innovations in energy, there are now many ways that you can choose to power your furnace. The three most common are gas, electric, and oil heaters. When considering investing in a gas furnace, it is important to know that this is the most economical way to heat your home. In this case, your furnace would run off of natural gas. An oil furnace is often an economical choice as well, but the price to fuel an oil furnace can vary widely depending on oil prices. Oil is also less eco-friendly than its natural gas counterpart. Additionally, storing propane tanks can take up more room than the fuel necessary for a natural gas furnace. Oil furnaces are often a good opti
on for homes that do not have a gas line. If neither of these types of furnaces works for you, then you can try an electric furnace, which is significantly more expensive to operate. However, if for whatever reason, you decide to choose an electric furnace, you can choose to get an electrically powered heat pump. These pumps move heat from one source to another, which uses less electricity than a traditional electric heater. These pumps can also be used for cooling needs.
Zoning Systems
Often, various areas throughout your home can get much hotter or cooler than other parts of your home. With a zoning system, different parts of your home are each controlled by a separate thermostat. This means that if you want your kitchen to stay cool and your bedroom to stay warm, you can easily do so. It also means that you can spend less on energy for heating, since each area is individually controlled.
Indoor Air Quality
To evenly distribute the hot air throughout your home, the furnace blows airs through several ducts. To help improve air quality in your home, you can have these ducts fitted with air quality systems, which help to purify the air that is distributed. Additionally, your furnace filter can regularly be changed (twice a year) to help maintain high air quality throughout your home.
Various Speed Blowers
The two types of furnace blowers are quite self-explanatory. The variable speed blower can automatically change the speed of the furnace blowers to evenly distribute the warm or cool air throughout your home. A fixed speed blower, on the other hand, operates at one speed, which means that it tends to be much noisier and the air is not kept at as consistent a temperature.
Installation Quality
Calgary Furnace told us: “Perhaps the most important thing when buying a new furnace is to make sure that it is installed properly. As such, it is imperative that a good installation company is chosen, which probably means that it is not a great idea to choose the cheapest company. However, having a furnace installed properly means that it will function at its maximum efficiency, which will ultimately more than pay for the money spent to have it installed correctly.
Furnace Pricing
The majority of the cost associated with a new furnace purchase will be the furnace itself, but it is also necessary to take into account the costs to have the furnace installed, along with any extra features you would like to add to it. Any added feature will simply be an upgrade to your home’s comfort, so make sure to choose the add-ons that are worth it for your household.
Correct Sizing Matters
Even though it can be tempting to buy a smaller furnace to save some money, it is incredibly important to choose a furnace that is the right size for your home. When you call a contractor, they should look at your entire home to determine the correct size of the furnace. It is imperative that you listen to their recommendations, as buying the wrong size will lead to wasted money due to energy costs and having a furnace that never works properly with your home.
Warranty
When you buy a Frigidaire furnace, air conditioner unit, or heat pump, a ten year limited warranty is included. This covers the costs of any parts that are needed for repairs throughout the first ten years of the life of the unit, but it does not include the cost of labor to perform the repairs.
Rebates and Incentives
One final thing to consider when purchasing a new furnace is rebates and incentives offered for your choice of a specific unit. Rebates on furnace purchases can be hundreds of dollars back in your pocket, and there are often incentives through your local area to purchase an efficient HVAC unit. Be sure to check with a local contractor to find out about any specific monetary incentives offered.
