3 Tips for Buying a Furnace

After years of wear and tear, it finally happened–your furnace died. And now comes the difficult part: purchasing a new furnace. Because a furnace isn’t something you purchase every day, it’s something you aren’t familiar with, and therefore will require some research before the purchase, or consulting with a professional. When debating whether or not to purchase a new furnace for your new home, there are many things to consider. We have a few ideas for things to research and talk about before you decide to take the big plunge.

Size Matters

If you are living in an apartment and you need to purchase a furnace as opposed to living in a 5,000 square-foot home and needing a new furnace, you’ll be looking at very different sizing for furnaces. And this is an extremely important thing to remember. If you get too small of a furnace for your home, your furnace won’t keep your home warm. With too large of a furnace, the furnace will cycle on and off, which is louder and very avoidable. If you are confused about the appropriate furnace-to-house ratio, an expert can determine the size of central heating unit in Minneapolis, MN, your home needs.

Efficiency

Furnaces are large and require a lot of energy and a lot of gas. With a furnace that doesn’t have the highest efficiency, you can lose a lot of heat and money simply because you chose the wrong furnace. Also, if you choose a low-efficiency furnace, you could be adding lots of unnecessary emissions into the air. Though you have to have a furnace with over 78% efficiency, the higher the efficiency you have, the more money you will save in the long run. But, the higher efficiency furnaces are more expensive, so you’ll want to factor that in when deciding.

System Features

Some system features you will want to consider when purchasing a furnace are the following:

• System Type: You can choose between a split system (a very large system that combines heating and air conditioning indoors), or a packaged system (a system that has both heating and cooling components in one outdoor unit).
• Fuel Source: You’ll need to choose from gas, electric, or oil heating, but gas tends to be the most economical way.
• Indoor Air Quality: Your furnace may add more pollution to your home than take away from pollution without repairs and clean filters. With some furnaces as well, you can have additional indoor air quality systems to help generate clean air.

Overall, buying a furnace isn’t like a routine trip to the grocery store. You’ll want to research exactly what type of central heating unit you want, as well as contact a professional for a consultation to see exactly what type will work best for you.