As you begin shopping for a furnace, you should consider a few important factors that will make your decision-making process easier and less stressful.
First, become familiar with some of the common terms that you will encounter in your discussions with contractors and vendors.
Once you’ve become well-versed, you will need to know the proper size furnace you need. If you buy a unit that’s too small, it will struggle to keep your home, especially during extended cold spells. To compensate for that, many people opt for a furnace that’s much larger than they need. This, however, isn’t energy efficient, and the constant on and off of an over-sized furnace will add to the wear and tear on the furnace you’ve chosen.
To figure out the proper size furnace you need for your home, a reputable contractor likely will perform a heating load calculation, as developed by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. The “Manual J HVAC Residential Load Calculation” takes into account a number of factors including the size and layout of your home, its airtightness and insulation levels, your landscaping, the local climate and much more. With the heating load report in hand, the technician can determine the right size furnace for your particular home.
As you continue shopping for a furnace, you likely will encounter numerous furnace manufacturers. Become familiar with their available furnace models.
As you weigh the pros and cons of the different furnace models, one of the most important considerations is heating efficiency. The Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE ) rating measures the heat produced per unit of fuel. The higher the percentage, the better. High-efficiency models start at 90 percent, with some models coming close to 100 percent AFUE. High-efficiency furnaces usually come with advanced features that maximize heating efficiency.
Also, when thinking about efficiency, you should consider a programmable smart thermostat for your new heating system. If you lower your home’s temperature by even 2 degrees when you’re asleep, you will save substantial money over the long term.
As you continue shopping for a furnace, if you have questions about what you’re learning, please contact us at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’ll be happy to answer all of your questions.
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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