Home Furnace

Do you have a house in one of the coldest cities of United States and thinking of how to keep your energy expense to the minimum? In most of these cold places in United States, heating will amount to 35 to 40% of the annual energy expense bill. The most effective way to save on energy bill and reduce heating energy use can be done by installing an efficient home furnace system. By installing an efficient home furnace, you will not only reduce your home energy expense but also contribute towards lesser global warming.

Before deciding on any home furnace system, it is important to measure its working efficiency. The efficiency of a home furnace is measured by its seasonal performance. The annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of home furnace available today is somewhere between 78% and 96%. If the AFUE of a home furnace is above 90%, then it can recapture the wasted heat by condensing escaping water vapor.

The important points to be considered before selecting a new home furnace are:

• High electrical efficiency
• Condensing models
• Proper sizing

While buying a new home furnace choose one with variable fan motor speed. This is sure to save hundreds of dollars that can be possibly spent on energy bill. Home furnace with a standard fan motor speed use lot of electricity and will increase your energy bill. It is essential to do some homework before deciding to buy a home furnace. You can take help from your friends who have got their new home furnace to get a fair idea about the energy efficiency and other important aspects about furnace.

American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recommends using home furnace with condensing models. When you are living in warmer places, then a normal home furnace will satisfy your needs. However, living in cold areas will require you to keep a condensing model that will keep your energy expense to the minimum.

Selecting the right size home furnace is very important because an oversized furnace will cost you substantially. In an oversized furnace the on and off cycle happens more often when compared to the correct sized furnaces. Frequent on and off cycling means more expense. To know the exact size of home furnace you have to take the help of a contractor who can do a load calculation. A reputable HVAC contractor can do a fair job by taking into account the size of your house, the amount of insulation in your walls, insulation value of windows and roof, and take into consideration other criteria to determine the correct furnace capacity.

You have to concentrate on efficiency point of view before buying a home furnace. High proficiency furnaces may cost more, but the operating cost is comparatively less. They use minimum fuel to generate heat. Even though the initial cost of high efficiency home furnace is high, their operating and maintenance cost is low. High efficiency home furnace will be an appropriate choice depending on the climate and how long you are going to own your home.