When you lose your home’s heating capability, it’s a major inconvenience, not to mention threatening you and your family’s safety. Furnace replacement becomes an immediate priority, especially in the heart of winter. But no matter how quickly you need your new furnace, try not to forget that this is an important decision that requires plenty of thought and information. If you familiarize yourself with the basics of sizing, efficiency ratings and various available features, however, you can quickly pick a furnace that will suit you for years to come.
Sizing
If you get a furnace that’s too small or too large, you will either have inadequate heating or excessively high energy bills. Contract with an HVAC professional to perform a heating load calculation that will tell you exactly how much energy you need to keep your house warm. If you have time, you can save money by sealing up your house and reducing your heating load. Simple improvements like weatherstripping around the windows and doors also can help you conserve your warm air. This means you can buy a smaller and less expensive furnace.
Efficiency Ratings
AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) is an important rating that homeowners use to compare various heating systems. A higher rating indicates better efficiency, and a rating of 90 percent or better is generally considered “high-efficiency.” In a climate like that of New York State, every percentage point makes a difference. AFUE measures how much fuel gets converted to heat in your home. Condensing units are more expensive but will retain more of that heat and generate more heating savings over the years, eventually offsetting the extra cost.
Features
- Zoned Heating: Zoning systems incorporate the use of multiple thermostats to give you better control over how your heat is distributed throughout the house.
- Air Filtration: Furnaces can come equipped with an electrostatic filter that will help catch more particles in the air than a regular filter would.
For more information about furnace replacement and the things you should be on the look-out for, contact C.R. Wolf Heating and Air Conditioningtoday. We have proudly served the Middleton area since 1945.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
CR Wolfe Heating services Middletown, NY. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
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