So, it's time to buy a new furnace. What are your options?
The two most common types of furnaces on the market today are gas furnaces and electric furnaces, with gas being the most common. However, there are areas where natural gas isn't readily available, so your choice is limited when it comes to buying a new
want to know if they should buy that Goodman furnace they've heard so many negative things about. It does pay to ask around and check furance ratings and reviews. However, what's much more important than the brand name you buy is the person you hire to do the installation. The best unit in the world, installed by a hack, is a waste of your money. You'd be much farther ahead with a less expensive unit installed by someone who took pride in his work. Given the amount of money you'll spend on your new heating system, you want to be able to trust the installation.
Whatever you do, research your installer at least as must as you do your equipment. Make sure the HVAC pro you hire, really is a pro. His/her competency will play a large part in how happy you are with your new equipment, and what kind of future furnace maintenance you might have to deal with.
You'll know your installer is really a pro when:
S/he does a heat loss/heat gain calc. Even if they want to charge you for it, this is a must. It is the ONLY way to know what size furnace you need. If someone suggests you need the same size furnace as your 20-year-old furnace, show them the door. If someone recommends a furnace size based on the square feet of your house, show them the door. Again, the only way to size a furnace is by doing a heat loss calc.
How will you know they've done a calculation? Did they walk through the house? Measure the square footage of your windows and determine what direction they faced? Find out if they are double or single pane? Did they check the amount of insulation in your attic? Granted, some of these things will be self-explanatory based on the age of your home, but they are just a few things that factor into the calculation.
Are you looking at a variable speed furnace? Have they checked that your ductwork is properly sized and measured the static pressure? If not, that expensive furnace you just bought that is supposed to run cheaper and quieter in the right conditions, will be very noisy and will cost you a fortune to run.
These are just a few of the many things a pro should/would do for you.
Is it almost time to replace your air conditioning unit as well? Then buy a new heating and air conditioning system at the same time. A matched set, installed all at once, is the most efficient way to go, and may have an impact on future furnace maintenance.
New Furnace Options:
Want more even temps? Go for a two-stage furnace. Most of the time your furnace will fire on low, and only kick up into full fire on extremely cold days. The furnace will stay on longer in low fire, sparing you the temperature swings mentioned above.
Next up you have a two-stage, variable speed furnace. This one will cost you the most, but the variable speed motor uses a much less hydro, so there is a long term savings there. However, don't jump on the variable speed bandwagon without having your heating and air conditioning pro make sure your ductwork can handle the unit. If not, it could end up costing you more, instead of less, to run.
There are some that complain that the more sophisticated the unit, the more furnace maintenance you have, but that's not necessarily true. If it was installed properly, by techs familiar with newer equipment, you shouldn't have more work.
Electric furnaces cost more to buy and run, but they do lack some of the environmental concerns raised by a gas furnace, as they don't produce fumes.
New Furnace? Whose is the Best Furnace or Best Rated Furnace?
If you don't mind drastic changes in your home temperatures, you can go with a simple single stage furnace. It fires at full capacity when there is a call for heat. When the furnace cycles off, your indoor temperature drops until another call for heat. As far as furnace prices go, this is the lowest price.
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heating system. But take heart in knowing that when it comes to furnace maintenance they are pretty much equal.
Many people wonder who makes the best furnace. Ask a handful of HVAC pros and they'll all have different answers. It's Carrier. It's Trane. Lennox, Bryant, American Standard, Amana and so on. Others