Before buying furnace, plan ahead

Having a home heating system is very important as winter may come in anytime soon. More importantly, consider different options and specifics when buying a furnace system. Specifics like size, efficiency, type etc. with each having direct impact of cost of acquiring the furnace system and how it operates at peak levels.
It is imperative to get an affordable heating system. Its efficiency is how much energy in furnace is being converted to hearing power to heat the moment with this measured in AFUE (the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency).

80 percent AFUE is the minimum for efficiency furnaces to comply with stipulated regulations. At the other end of the spectrum, the iQ Drive® modulating gas furnace reaches 97 percent AFUE.
With the iQ Drive gas furnace, only 3 percent of the energy you put into the unit escapes up the flue. This means that using little gas to heat your home helps to power utility bills.
The following are things to know before buying a furnace system.

System Type

For centralized heating systems, they can be in a split system or packaged system. Split system consists of condensing unit, furnace with coil sitting on top of furnace. This is commonly associated with heating and air conditioning. For those that don’t have spaces like basement or attic, they can use a packaged system to provide heating and cooling to rooms in the home. In this case, all the components of heating and cooling are in one outdoor unit.

You can always switch to package units if you want to remove something’s in the home to free some space. Same scenario for this who are using packaged system and wants to change to split system. A good local HVAC contractor will help you to get the best.

Fuel Source

There are options available for all fuel types of furnaces. Be it gas, oil or electric heating, there are some things to know about each type.
The economic way of heating is by using natural gas to heat your furnace.

For oil heating, you need space for tank storage and the area could be messy and dirty due to oil leaks and more importantly, expensive to operate and maintain. For areas where gas is not available, it’s an alternative to gas.

The third type- electric furnace uses electricity to generate heat and have substantial impact on utility bills.
You can get a better choice by using an electric powered heat pump which uses less electricity. It has dual heating g and cooling functions to cool during the summer period.

Zoning Systems

Some parts of the home may be colder or hotter depending on its location in the home and with a thermostat around these places, you experience cold and hot spots in your home. You may use more energy to keep the home at room temperature. Dividing the home into zones helps regulate the room temperature as each zone has individual thermostat controlling it. You can also stop access to zones using dampers in ducts to have an even room temperature ensuring the exact amount of energy is being used for the home.

Indoor Air Quality

Every furnace on the home has a furnace blower that distributes heat and cooling system in the home. Ducts within the system can have in your capacity to generate clean and dirt free air for the home. Ensure your filters are checked when changing or servicing your furnace. Filters should be changed bi-annually (right before the heating season and then again right before the cooling season).

Variable Speed Blowers

Two major types of furnace blowers exists namely fixed speed blower and variable speed blower. As the name implies, variable speed blowers can vary the speed of the blower as it gives air to all rooms in the home at a consistent temperature and operating at a quieter level.

Installation Quality

Do not compromise the quality of your furnace installation in trying to save. You may end up spending more if the quality is not satisfactory. As a result of its complications nature, heating systems requires the services of a skilled contractor to install. Since you are buying an efficient system, you should be able to get excellent services but a poorly installed furnace will not work efficiently.

Furnace Pricing

The furnace systems takes a sizeable amount of money for installation costs and you still have to consider some things when getting a new furnace. Things like size of the furnace, additional tools and fixes, labor costs etc.
Because of its long time nature and service life, consider costs of acquiring a furnace as an investment for heating and cooling of your home. Getting a furnace without considering all options could end up affecting the quality of your indoor air and temperature.

Correct Sizing Matters

Ensure that you get the right size for your furnace. Note that a bigger furnace will cost more and also take more space. Let your installation contractor perform a manual J load calculation to determine the right system size for you (measured in BTUs or tons). This takes every part of the home into consideration like window efficiency and square size. It’s not too good for your contractor to give you a quite over the phone without inspection or checking your home. It’s always good to get the right size for your home as small or too big systems will not heat your home properly.

Warranty

All Frigidaire furnace, air conditioner and heat pump comes with a 10-Year Limited Long Parts Warranty when the unit is registered. This covers all repairs and costs of parts for repairs done within that 10-year period though labor costs and refrigerant are not included in the warranty. Ensure you get the full warranty details like the Contractors’ Preferred Protection Plan from your contractor.

Rebates and Incentives

There are some incentives to buying high efficiency equipment apart from savings on utility bills. It can also qualify for some money back incentives and rebates which you can get from local promotions. Find out from your local contractor to see if your new furnace qualifies for any incentives.