What to Consider When Buying a Furnace
Your furnace system plays a vital role in keeping your home comfortable. As time goes by, your existing furnace may begin to lose some of its efficiency and the overall performance might diminish. As a further point, newer gas furnaces offer comfort and efficiency that just wasn’t possible when many of the older models were made.
If you are looking to install a new furnace system, there are a lot of points that can help to determine the type of system that will be right for your home. Let’s take a look at a few of the factors that can help to determine the best type of furnace for a home.
Furnace Size
The first consideration is getting a furnace that is the correct size. More specific than physical size, you are looking for a furnace that can produce the right amount of heat for your home. Just like with many other things, bigger is not always better. You want to find a furnace that can produce the right amount of heat, without being too big for your home.
In determining the correct amount of heat output for a structure, and HVAC technician will consider a number of different factors. The first and most important factor is the square footage of the home. After that, they might consider climate region in which the home was built, and the construction of the home.
Furnace Efficiency
Efficiency is an important factor when it comes to getting the right furnace. Generally, efficiency is represented by its Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE). With AFUE, you have a figure that represents the average expected efficiency of the fuel that is burned by the furnace over the course of a year. This figure is shown as a percentage, and it is intended to represent the percentage of fuel burned that actually gets converted into heat for the home.
With the AFUE rating, you have some inexpensive furnaces that offer a rating of about 80%, but you could go with high efficiency units that get 90% or better, with some models scoring a AFUE of 98%. Generally, these high efficiency models will achieve this by using features like insulation to reduce heat loss and an electric ignition to eliminate the need for a pilot flame.
Special Features
While you can still buy a basic furnace for heating the home, you do also have a range of optional features that can improve comfort and efficiency. Some furnaces have features like multi-stage operation for high and low heat output. This can be good for saving on fuel, and it offers more precise comfort control.
You may also look for options like a variable speed fan. With more speeds, it offers more options for ventilation and for controlling the heating and air conditioning in your home. You may also find some units that have additional options for the air filtration and dehumidification.
Getting the right furnace will make a big difference when it comes to home comfort. Finding a unit that is the right size is important, but you also want to consider things like efficiency and added features. Along with that, the brand can also be important. Certain brands offer more reliable performance, and you also want to consider the warranty from the manufacturer.