The leaves are changing colour, falling, blowing in the wind, and soon, you’ll see bare branches all around you. It’s a sight you probably don’t want to witness, but winter is inevitable. With those changes brings all of the necessary in-home preparations. Among them may be the installation of a new furnace in your home. But it’s essential to keep in mind that the right or wrong choice of heating units can leave you and your family miserable this winter. Therefore, you need to know how to choose a furnace to prevent everyone from shivering in the upcoming months. Doing so will make your life a lot more comfortable in the cold months, and you can expect to spend a lot less too.
Why People Choose the Wrong Furnace
It may not seem like a big deal, but the wrong furnace choice will catch up with you quite quickly. One of the first signs of a bad choice is poor heating efficiency, and it may manifest in a home that’s always chilly or slow to warm up. Additionally, your heating bill may show numbers that don’t correspond to the heating ability of the furnace. In other words, you might find yourself pouring your wallet out for room temperatures that give you goosebumps. There are numerous reasons why people choose the wrong furnaces, and it’s good to know what they are so you can see if you’ve fallen into one of these detrimental patterns of thought.
Don’t Want to Overspend
No one want’s to spend more than they have to. However, choosing a furnace with a “lighter” price tag can haunt you in the future. If it’s not the ideal unit for your home, you may run into problems and end up having to cough up more money to run and fix it.
Impatient – Want to Get it Over With
For some, the idea of installing a furnace sounds overwhelming. So the natural human tendency in such instances is to seek a quick fix, hoping that everything will magically work out. Of course, that rarely happens, if ever.
Wait Until the Last Minute
Closely related to the previous point is the problem of waiting until the last minute. What often happens, is stress takes over the one buying the unit, resulting in poor decisions. It’s usually better to make these installations or repairs several weeks before temperatures decline.
Ultimately, choosing the right furnace for your house can mean the difference between comfort or misery. These conditions can exist on multiple levels. Of course, there’s no doubt in mind that you’d rather have a warm and cozy winter instead of a cold one.
How a Good Furnace Makes You Comfy:
- Keeps your home warm on the coldest days
- The right furnace won’t need you to adjust it too often
- Longevity – you won’t have to repair it too soon
- Your bill will match the performance of your unit
- You’ll feel good knowing that you have a warm home to come into
The Factors to Consider
Now let’s say you’re on the verge of buying a new unit. Perhaps, it’s high time that you invest some time and money into furnace replacement. But you’re stuck – what should you buy? After all, there are tons of options, and choosing just any unit won’t cut it. There are some basic factors for you to consider when deciding what furnace will work best for your home.
Fuel Type
Your car isn’t the only thing that needs a certain type of fuel! Learning how to choose a furnace requires you to know what kind of fuel works best for it. The choice you make may depend on various things, including industry standards and the location in which you live. For example, natural gas is the most dominant fuel type among furnaces, but liquid propane is more suitable for those living out in rural areas. Therefore, it’s important that you take a look at your living circumstances to determine what choice works best for you.
Efficiency
Now, this is where the idea of getting the most “bang for your buck” comes into play – with efficiency. It refers to the amount of fuel consumed by the furnace that actually turns into heat. For example, if your furnace converts 75% of the fuel it burns into heat, then your unit is 75% efficient. The remaining 25% or 25 cents per dollar goes out the chimney. With that said, you want a furnace with the highest efficiency level possible, so that you can get the most for what you pay for.
Size of Unit
The size of a heating unit matters when it comes to residential HVAC. Depending on the heating requirements of your home, you will need to 
choose a size-appropriate device that’s capable of heating up your home adequately. An oversized unit will waste energy by sending more heat through the flue, while an undersized unit may not provide enough heat at all. Furnace maintenance experts help homeowners to avoid this problem by calculating heating requirements using the British Thermal Units (BTUs) per hour measurement ( Btu/hr). It’s a fairly simple calculation to make, but it can take a significant amount of time to do so, making it a task for skilled professionals.
When seeking help on how to choose a furnace, many people feel a degree of confusion. After all, there are quite a few factors to consider, and they may not make much sense right away. With that said, furnace repairs and installation is a task meant solely for certified contractors, so you should rely on them to clarify any doubts or questions you may have.
Stay Toasty this Winter
Cold winds, snow drifts, and early sunsets are at your doorstep. And it can be a bummer. But that doesn’t mean you have to put up with the discomforts of winter – at least when it comes to temperature. By knowing how to choose a furnace, you can make sure that your home and family stays warm, even on days when your teeth are ready to chatter. With that said, you need to take a look at the factors that will influence your choices, and work along with certified contractors who can help you pick the right unit. Keep these tips in mind, and you can be sure to have a warm home no matter how cold it gets this coming season!
Need more info on choosing the right furnace for your home? Get in touch with us so we can help!