Sizing, energy efficiency ratings, and cost are important considerations in a new furnace.
If your furnace has been acting up, it might be time for a new one. Be sure to consult with an expert HVAC technician first though, to ensure your furnace can’t simply be repaired or upgraded instead. Once you have confirmed that you really do need a new furnace, you’ll want to consider these three important factors.
Furnace Sizing
Contrary to popular belief, square footage isn’t the only factor to consider when deciding what size furnace to purchase. The quality of your insulation and the efficiency of your doors and windows, as well as the geographic location of your home, should also affect the decision. Together, these factors can be used to calculate the overall energy load requirement of your home in BTUs. This can then be matched to the BTU output of various furnaces.
Energy Efficiency Rating
Depending on when your old furnace was made, it might have an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating as low as 56 percent. This means that only 56 percent of the fuel consumed by the furnace got turned into usable heat for your home. New furnaces offer much better energy efficiency. For example, some of the top American Standard brand furnaces we sell at Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing provide 96 percent efficiency. However, remember that this rating only guarantees that the furnace itself is efficient, and does not account for inefficiencies introduced by leaky ducts or inadequate building seals. When purchasing a new furnace, it is always a good idea to have a home energy audit first to check for other issues that could affect your new furnace’s performance.
Costs
When it comes to the cost of a new furnace, you don’t want to make your decision based on sticker price alone. You may also need to consider other potential expenses, such as:
- Installation cost
- Fuel costs
- Maintenance costs
At Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing, we do everything in our power to make sure the furnaces we sell are able to deliver an excellent value on all counts. We will beat any other licensed contractor’s price by $100, and we also offer a lifetime warranty and 1 year of free maintenance on all equipment we install.
If you’re looking for a new furnace, we invite you to stop by Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing. We can provide an expert assessment of your home’s requirements and recommend quality American-made products that will meet your needs.