In a perfect world, furnaces would last as long as the homes that they heat. They could be installed once and then ignored for decades to come. Unfortunately, that world is just a dream. Here’s how to know if your furnace is on its last legs, and what you can do to manage your furnace installation cost.
Managing Furnace Installation Cost
The smartest way to make your furnace dollars go further is to buy the right furnace for your needs. Here’s a quick look at the pros and cons of the most common types of furnaces:
- Natural gas. Gas is still the most common way that most Americans heat their homes, and while older gas furnaces have a reputation for being inefficient, newer furnaces can achieve annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) ratings up to 98 percent. This means that nearly all of the fuel is converted into heat for your home.
- Propane or fuel oil. These furnaces are less common than natural gas furnaces, though they are common in areas without natural gas lines. The propane or fuel oil is kept in a big tank and fed to the furnace. Before the tank runs out of fuel, the homeowners pays to fill it up again. If you have a natural gas line serving your home, your best bet is natural gas. It’s the cheapest heating fuel available and is likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
- Electric. In some parts of the country (though not many), it’s cheaper to heat with electricity than natural gas. If this is true for you, an electric furnace may be what you’ve been looking for. Electricity is more efficient than natural gas. In fact, some electric furnaces are able to achieve an AFUE rating of 100 percent.
It’s important to realize, however, that furnaces of any type are not your only option for heating. Radiant heating systems, boilers and heat pumps (both air source and geothermal) also offer practical options for heating your home, and heat pumps have the added bonus of also providing efficient cooling in the summer.
For more than 40 years, your friends and neighbors in Indianapolis have been turning to Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing for their heating and cooling needs. Contact us today for more indoor weather solutions.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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