Furnace Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Furnace for Your Home

Furnace Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Furnace for Your Home

When selecting a new home furnace, you can easily feel overwhelmed by the numerous options available nowadays. Not to mention that choosing the right furnace can be a daunting task. However, you really don’t need to stress this out, if only you know and have the information needed to help you out decide the right furnace for your home.

The HVAC industry isn’t as complicated as how you think it is, once that you know a few things about the different types of furnaces which are available for purchase, you will find yourself having picked out the right kind of furnace for your home. Ready to choose out? Here are the things you need to look for when choosing the right furnace.

Choosing the Fuel Type 

To start off, you need to know that various fuel types, such as coal, fuel oil, and wood — with the natural gas as the most common source— are used to power different furnaces. An oil or gas-powered furnace is able to provide high-efficiency heating which you will need to keep your home be warm and at a comfortable temperature without spiking up your energy costs.

Gas furnaces, on the other hand, are usually at the higher end of your budget due to its initial installation but is guaranteed to help you save money in the long run as your utility bills decline.

Oil-fueled furnace, one of the fuel types, are a better option if you are a homeowner who needs a budget-friendly option. It burns hotter than the gas furnace and is also relatively easy to get a service and maintenance for this type of furnace.

Examine the AFUE Ratings

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Annual fuel utilization efficiency or AFUE is an efficiency rating which is present in all furnaces being sold in the market. The AFUE rating is a percentage rating wherein it indicates how much fuel a type of furnace uses to heat up your home and how much of it goes to waste.

The AFUE’s rating is in percentages, the number of percentages of a furnace’s efficiency is according to how high the percentage is. Meaning, the higher the number the greater is the efficiency. For example, oil furnaces average 60 to 80 percent while gas furnaces are able to achieve up to 98 percent.

Here’s a tip, if you live in an area that has extreme winter condition, then you should probably go for a high-efficiency condensing furnace with a 90 percent of AFUE or more over the unit’s lifetime. But, if you have temperate winters, you may be better off with a furnace that has an AFUE of 80 percent. Now, if you are unsure then go to your contractor to calculate the fuel costs.

Consider the TOC (Total Cost of Ownership)

TOC or the total cost of ownership is a financial estimate intended to help out purchasers and owners to determine the indirect and direct costs of a product which is being bought. It takes installation, energy use, maintenance, and repair costs for your new furnace into account.

You should know that there are some furnaces that have a long lifespan which holds up better than the other over the years preventing you from having to spend as much money to keep them running. Also, there are furnaces that would take less time and effort to install, thus making your upfront cost decreased.

Now, if you are trying to calculate your total cost of ownership so that you are able to compare prior to making the investment, you may find it overwhelming or difficult. Which is why it is best to seek professional advice since there are several ratings and factors that are involved which affects how the furnace will perform in your home.

For added information, here are the factors that you need to look out for in choosing your new furnace. Make sure to take all the following costs into accounts, such as the energy use, upfront costs, payment for Furnace installation in Scarborough professionals, repairs, maintenance, and the lifetime of the unit.

Long Warranty

Look for a long warranty in the furnace that you are eyeing out. The warranty on your furnace varies accordingly to the manufacturer and the HVAC company which is responsible for the product. Know that the more efficient, and perhaps the most expensive furnaces tend to have longer warranties than those of basic models. In addition, it is very important to have a long-term warranty on heat exchangers to those with a condensing furnace.

Ask for Professional Help

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Consider consulting your HVAC technician in terms of thinking of buying a furnace since they know best about this equipment and therefore, knows what system is best to meet your needs and standard. Visit sites like www.provincialheating.ca for added information about HVAC systems.

Takeaway

The information written above should be able to help you sort out in choosing the best furnace that the market could possibly offer for you. Just remember that a new furnace is an investment and that you should check out energy-saving options and opt to choose the furnace which fits you best and helps you even in more years to come.