Furnace

Choosing the Right Furnace for Your House

»Posted by on Sep 7, 2020 in Furnace | 6 comments

Your house can experience a range of weather conditions and temperatures during the winter months. To make your home comfortable, you need to have a heating unit that can provide warmth to your house. There are a couple of factors you’ve got to think about when you’re buying a new furnace.  

An effective furnace plays a huge role in keeping your house comfortable and warm during the winter. However, how can you choose the right furnace? Here are several tips from several professional Spokane furnace repair companies

Talk to a Professional 

You should consider an HVAC professional as an indispensable resource. They’ve worked on or installed a lot of heating units. Thus, they know what systems can be ideal for you. they can conduct a load calculation to consider factors unique to your house. This includes the number of occupants and the size of your house.  

Think About the Overall Cost of Ownership 

The overall cost of ownership considers repair, maintenance, installation, and energy use costs for your new furnace. Over the years, a couple of furnaces hold up better compared to others. Thus, you will not have to spend a lot of money to keep them operating. You may also find furnaces that take less effort or time to install. Thus, your upfront expenses will lower.  

It can be a bit overwhelming to calculate the overall cost of ownership. There are a couple of factors and ratings involved that influence how your furnace will perform. 

Check AFUE Ratings 

The Annual Fuel Use Efficiency (AFUE) of a furnace defines the total energy efficiency of the furnace. AFUE ratings are expressed as percentages. It will have higher efficiency if the numbers are higher. Gas furnaces usually have 98% in their AFUE ratings. On the other hand, oil has around 60 to 80% AFUE ratings.  

The type of fuel is not the only aspect to think about. You have to check a couple of furnace units to figure out what will provide you the ideal cost savings.  

Pay Attention to Fuel Prices 

It’s also vital to consider that oil prices fluctuate more compared to gas prices. Costs can drop one month. After that, it might increase next month. Thus, you’ve got to be ready for those fluctuations. Think about a gas furnace if you require more consistency since they’ll provide more predictable monthly costs. 

The Ideal Fuel Type 

There are various fuels that can power furnaces. This includes wood, oil, and coal. However, the most popular one is natural gas. An oil or gas-powered unit will offer the high-efficiency heating you require to keep you at ease and lower your utility bill. 

Usually, gas furnaces cost more when compared to oil furnaces. However, they’ve got better efficiency ratings. You will spend more to buy and install the furnace. However, you’ll save money as time passes by since your utility bills will be lowered. Oil furnaces work best for homeowners who require a budget-friendly choice from the outset. A lot of models still provide great efficiency.  

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