When it’s time to choose a new or replacement furnace for your home, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and intimidated by the technical details. Here are three factors that can make choosing a furnace as simple as possible.
Efficiency
Furnaces are assigned an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating. This number represents the percentage of energy in the furnace’s fuel that is successfully converted to heat for your home. The higher the AFUE number, the more efficient the furnace. High-efficiency units with AFUE numbers of 90 or above are more expensive to purchase, but provide huge savings on your heating bills.
Load
Your home’s “load” is simply the total amount of heating (or cooling) that your residence needs. Your HVAC contractor should perform a load calculation on your house before suggesting a furnace. This calculation accounts for factors such as local climate; size, shape, and directional orientation of your house; and the amount and effectiveness of insulation.
Make sure your contractor uses industry-standard references such as the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Manual J, “Residential Load Calculation.”
Sizing
Your new furnace must be correctly sized to meet your home’s heating load, which means it must be powerful enough to heat the home where it’s installed. If it’s too small, the furnace will not be able to adequately heat your living space. It will work harder and longer, causing unnecessary wear and shortened system life. On the other hand, your new furnace should not be too big. Having an over sized furnace leads to a large waste of fuel, furnace overheating, and short cycling. Short cycling is when a furnace that is too large tends to cycle off and on more often, which can also wear the unit out sooner. There is a so called “sweet spot” regarding the proper size furnace for a house. Using the results from your home’s load calculation, your HVAC professional can help you choose a furnace that is an exact fit for your home and your comfort needs.
Since 1945, Aladdin Heating & Cooling has provided trusted residential, commercial and industrial HVAC sales and services to customers in the Detroit area, including Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. Contact us today for more information on choosing a furnace, to get an estimate on a new heating system, or to schedule an installation.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Aladding Heating & Cooling services the Detroit, Michigan and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!