When it comes time to replace your old furnace, many Maryland homeowners stress over how to choose the right furnace for their home. Furnace shopping can seem like a chore, but when you know what to look for your decision becomes simple! Before you buy, learn how to choose the right furnace for your home with help from our heating pros.
How to Choose the Right Furnace for Your Home
As you shop for a new Energy Star furnace, these are the areas you need to evaluate to help you choose the perfect unit to install in your Maryland home.
1. Consider Fuel Source
Gas, electric, oil, and liquid propane are fuel sources used to power residential furnaces. Equipment costs vary between these types, but what’s most important is fuel cost. Gas furnaces are typically preferred in areas with natural gas service, as they don’t come with the mess of oil furnaces even though they sometimes cost slightly more.
Propane or oil furnaces are good choices as far as heating equipment and operating costs go. Electric furnaces are typically the cheapest equipment, yet they don’t heat as well as the others. Plus, electricity costs are often higher in many areas than the cost of other fuels, making these furnaces more expensive to operate.
Keep in mind what fuel source you have access to at home. If you already have natural gas, a gas furnace is probably the best option. If you currently use one type of furnace but would like to switch to another, you need to factor in the cost of installing fuel access lines, storage tanks, and other necessities.
2. Think About Efficiency
Furnace energy efficiency is expressed as AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency). The higher the furnace’s AFUE, the more efficiently it uses fuel. In climates that are cold and freezing like Maryland, a higher AFUE furnace offers better heating power paired with energy savings. Consider a furnace that is 90 AFUE rating or higher. While the price of a furnace typically increases with greater energy efficiency, this investment is often well worth it due to the greater energy savings generated by more efficient heating systems.
You’ll find certain features go hand in hand with higher efficiency ratings when it comes to furnace type.
- Single-stage furnaces offer a single rate of gas flow and are typically 80 percent AFUE.
- Two-stage furnaces are able to adjust gas flow rate between high and low to provide increased efficiency.
- Modulating furnaces provide the most efficient use of heating fuel through enhanced features such as secondary heat exchangers.
3. Choosing the Right Size Furnace
Choosing the right furnace for your home is largely dependent on buying the right size. To heat your home correctly and offer the efficiency levels expected, your furnace must be the right capacity for your home. Heating load calculations can be performed by your HVAC contractor to determine proper furnace size based on several factors, including your home’s square footage and the number of windows. Don’t try to save money choosing a new furnace that’s too small or get faster heating with an extra-large furnace. A fit that is too small or too large causes problems, including poor temperature control, greater energy consumption, increased system wear and tear, more breakdowns, and shorter equipment life.
Who You Hire Matters
Choosing the right new furnace for your home isn’t just about the equipment – who installs it is just as important. You want to work with a skilled installer to ensure your new equipment is placed into service properly, which protects the system and ensures efficient operation.
Maryland homeowners have long trusted Grove Heating and Cooling with this important job, and the quality of our work speaks for itself. We’ll help you understand how to choose the right furnace for your home and install it flawlessly. Contact us today to request an estimate for your new furnace. Keep your home warm and comfortable this winter with a high-efficiency furnace from Grove! We can also install an energy-efficient programmable thermostat in your home as well as indoor air quality solutions to improve your home’s air quality.
