If your furnace is getting older, it’s probably time to start thinking about a replacement. Most homeowners don’t have to deal with replacing their furnace very often, so the task can seem a bit daunting at first. At Home Comfort Experts, we’d like to make it a little less complicated. We’d like to share a few tips that will make it easier to get started and make the best decision. With furnace replacement, there are three main areas that are important to look at – efficiency, size, and price.
How Efficient Does Your High-Efficiency Furnace Need to Be?
Today’s furnaces are built to be much more efficient than furnaces of the past. Most likely your old furnace is over 10 years old and manufacturers have made some significant improvements since then, so your new furnace will save you money on your energy bills. To get an idea of your projected savings, we can come out for a tune-up and help you determine your current furnace’s level of efficiency. Then you can take that number and the numbers off of some ole fuel bills to calculate how much you can save with a new unit. There are several online calculators you can use. Look at the AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating of the new furnaces. The higher the rating, the more efficiently the furnace will run. The final number to consider, of course, is the price. You can take these numbers and figure out your potential savings and how long it will take before your investment in the furnace breaks even.
A Bigger Furnace Isn’t Always Better with New Furnace Installation
You may be tempted to think a bigger furnace will heat your home easier and thus be more efficient. You’d be wrong. Improperly sized furnaces are inefficient. An oversized unit will cycle on and off too often wasting energy. A furnace that is too small will not provide enough heat to keep the whole house comfortable. Matching the size of the furnace to the heat load of the building saves you money two ways. An efficient furnace uses less fuel and you won’t pay more than you need to for a bigger furnace that isn’t correct for your home. Proper installation is critical in how efficiently your furnace will perform as well.
Compare Furnace Prices Carefully
You have a lot of choices from a lot of different manufacturers. Sometimes it can get confusing comparing features, efficiency, and prices. Today’s high-efficiency furnaces are more expensive comparatively than furnaces of the past. Much more technology has been built in. But be careful not to pay more for a system that you don’t need. Overkill is the most common mistake in new furnace installation. Make sure your system is the right fit and not too big or you’ll be paying for more furnace than you need and losing efficiency. Your heating and cooling company should be able to help you narrow down your choices to make the best decision. Give us a call and let Home Comfort Experts install the best furnace for your home and your wallet.