When it’s time to get a new furnace, there are several things you should consider before making a judgement on a particular replacement furnace. With your house and your family’s needs in mind, Tri County Climate Control LLC can help you select the furnace that will keep your home warm and comfortable.
Fuel Source
One of the first factors you need to think about is which fuel source your new furnace will use. The majority of furnaces in North America utilize natural gas, but some residences are set up to use liquified petroleum gas, propane or even electricity. It’s critical to know which type of fuel is necessary for your new furnace.
Furnace Type
You’ll also want to consider which type of furnace you’d prefer to appropriately meet your needs. Furnaces are offered in single-stage, two-stage or variable capacity models. A single-stage furnace blows heat constantly at one speed and isn’t the strongest in efficiency among these options. A two-stage furnace is a good fit for many homes. Stage one of a two-stage furnace runs at about 65 percent of its capacity, and stage two will kick in for a heating blast on the frigid Bend days. But if you want to go for the best choice in flexibility and efficiency, a variable capacity furnace may be right for you.
Different from single- and two-stage models, variable capacity furnaces don’t have a specific number of stages to go through to deliver heat. A variable capacity furnace can actually operate at different capacities to answer your heating needs.
Zoning
Whether you want to incorporate a zoning system with your replacement furnace is another feature to discuss. You could save money by more efficiently using your furnace to heat the areas you normally use, rather than trying to keep the whole house at the same temperature. If you want more information about zoning possibilities for your home, Tri County Climate Control LLC can help.
Size
Another key part of picking the best furnace for your home is confirming it’s the proper size for your house. If your furnace is too large for your home’s heating needs, it will waste a lot of energy constantly cycling on and off. If your furnace is too small, it won’t be able to keep up on the coldest Bend days.
Efficiency
Last, but certainly not least, you need to check your furnace’s energy efficiency rating. A furnace’s efficiency is determined by annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). This rating represents the ratio of annual heat output of the furnace compared to the total annual fossil fuel energy it consumes. For example, an 80 percent AFUE rating means that 80 percent of energy in the fuel heats the home and the other 20 percent gets out through places like the furnace venting. For a high-efficiency furnace, you’ll want to look for an AFUE rating of 90 to 98.7 percent.
As you can see, many factors come into play when shopping for a replacement furnace. But, you don’t have to tackle this by yourself. Tri County Climate Control LLC is here to answer all of your questions and help you choose a furnace that fits your home and heating needs. Contact our experts at 541-238-2797 or schedule an appointment with us online.