buying聽a new furnace may not be a聽concern聽in the immediate future. But it’s聽smart聽to聽learn聽the things that will likely聽impact聽your聽choice聽when you’re ready to buy. Here are seven things you’ll want to聽think about聽when聽you're due聽f辞谤听furnace replacement in聽the U.S..
1. Size and Installation Quality
To聽operate聽at聽maximum聽efficiency and comfort, your furnace must be聽properly聽sized for your home. When it聽comes to聽furnaces, bigger is聽certainly聽not better. We聽often聽get requests from customers to聽install聽a big furnace in the聽mistaken聽belief that a larger furnace is either more聽dependable聽or will聽provide聽better comfort.
The聽reverse聽is true.聽Oversized聽furnaces will short cycle, 辞谤听constantly聽turn on and off. This leaves you聽cold, with聽higher聽energy bills and a furnace that could聽wear out聽much sooner.
This is why it’s聽need replacing聽to work with the right company when聽buying聽a new furnace. Even if it’s the聽correct聽size but聽installed wrong, the U.S Department of Energy says you could聽lose聽as much as 30% of your energy efficiency.
Another聽crucial聽component of installation is ductwork. If yours is old 辞谤听designed wrong, you might have聽problems聽with聽noise聽or comfort. A furnace is only as聽good聽as the duct system it’s聽attached聽to.
At聽天美传媒, our Expert HVAC technicians are ACE certified, which means they’re聽knowledgeable about聽repairing and installing various聽kinds聽of home comfort systems.聽Besides聽technical skill, our technicians are also trained in treating you聽ethically. We also聽support聽our work with a 天美传媒 Guarantee.*
2. Energy Efficiency
Furnaces are聽ranked聽by a term聽rated聽AFUE, or annual fuel utilization efficiency. Like miles per gallon on cars, this聽rates聽the annual gas consumption of a furnace. The聽greater聽the number, the less gas is聽spent聽during the heating process.
If your聽present聽furnace is 15 years old, it’s likely聽ranked聽well below 80 AFUE. As an example, if your HVAC system is 70 AFUE, you’re聽wasting聽up to 30 cents of each dollar you spend on heating.
Here’s how AFUE ratings work聽today:
- 80 AFUE—minimum efficiency rating in the U.S and Canada.
- 90 AFUE—ENERGY STAR¨ rating for furnaces in the U.S South.
- 95 AFUE—ENERGY STAR¨ rating for furnaces in the U.S North and Canada.
- 98 AFUE—highest聽efficiency rating available.
3. Blower Motor Technology
As you聽compare聽new furnaces there is one more important聽thing to consider: blower technology. This part聽circulates聽air throughout your home. And it also聽consumes聽a lot of electricity, so it’s聽essential聽to聽know about聽your options.
There are three聽kinds聽of blowers available on furnaces聽today. They include:
- Standard blower motor.聽Furnaces that aren’t ENERGY STAR rated have a聽traditional聽blower motor that’s been聽mostly聽the same聽for the past 30 years. This motor is the least聽costly聽and also the least energy efficient.
- Constant torque motor.聽This technology聽finds聽a balance between聽price聽and energy efficiency. It聽provides聽an electrical efficiency boost over a聽traditional聽motor design.
- Variable-speed motor.聽The most energy-efficient furnaces can聽run聽at different speeds. Instead of聽operating聽at full聽blast聽24/7, they will quietly聽run聽at a low or medium speed at times. This helps聽enhance聽your comfort while keeping energy costs聽low, both in the winter and summer. And it also keeps indoor humidity聽in check.
4. Sound Reduction Technology
Sound has become a very聽significant聽consideration with聽furnace installation, so another聽dramatic聽improvement has been聽keeping noise under control. Some of these features include:
- Sealed and insulated cabinets
- Variable-speed blower technology
- Whisper-quiet聽gas burners
With this technology, you might not even聽notice聽that your furnace is聽on.
5. Smart Thermostat
You probably聽have聽a programmable thermostat, but聽chances are聽you probably aren’t聽making the most of聽your energy savings. These thermostats can be聽complicated聽to program,聽if your schedule聽varies聽from day to day.
础听smart thermostat聽removes聽all the聽guessing聽about energy efficiency. Many models can聽learn from聽your temperature preferences and then聽create聽an energy-saving schedule to match. They also聽know聽when you’re home or away and will adjust your heating and cooling as聽needed.
As聽an extra perk, you’ll also be able to聽keep tabs on聽and聽adjust聽your settings from just about聽anyplace聽on your phone. Some models can even聽alert聽you if they聽detect聽a problem with your furnace or remind you when it’s time to聽change聽your air filter.
6. Warranty
There’s a聽significant聽difference in furnace quality and reliability. Like any聽big聽purchase, we聽believe聽it’s聽wisest聽to go with a major brand name. With a聽top聽brand like Lennox¨ or Goodman¨, you’ll have more聽assurance聽in the technology and that the manufacturer will聽stand by聽its product warranty over the聽long term.
Furnaces聽usually聽have two聽main聽warranty coverage areas:
- Heat exchanger.聽This is the聽center聽of the furnace and the聽costliest聽component to replace. This part聽usually聽has a 20-year limited warranty or lifetime limited warranty, but this can聽vary聽based on the manufacturer and furnace model.
- 惭补颈苍听辫补谤迟蝉.聽This聽involves聽the blower motor, electronic controls, ignitors and other聽important聽parts. Warranties can聽range聽from as聽short聽as a one-year limited warranty to as聽long聽as a 10-year limited warranty.
When聽going over聽warranty coverage, it’s聽essential聽to know it’s limited. So, you should make sure you聽understand聽the聽limitations. F辞谤听instance, nearly all standard manufacturer warranties only聽include聽the聽price聽of the replacement part, not labor. And labor on a聽replacing聽heat exchanger could get聽very expensive.
Once your new furnace is聽installed, make sure you聽complete聽the product registration聽right away. Many manufacturers may聽limit聽the warranty term if the product registration is not聽done. This step is聽simple聽and聽usually聽only takes a few minutes.
7. Cost
How much does all this cost聽anyway? It could聽range聽from $1,700 for a basic furnace, or $5,500 or more for a high-efficiency聽model.
As you聽think about聽these costs and the聽impact to聽your budget,聽remember聽that unlike nearly every other appliance you may need to聽purchase, your new furnace may help pay for itself from the monthly energy savings it聽provides.
A couple of聽other聽ways to save include:
- Replacing your聽air conditioner聽simultaneously.
- buying聽at the聽ideal聽time, such as in early fall, mid-winter and early spring. You may be able to get聽extra聽discounts and rebates during this聽less busy聽season.
- Take advantage聽of rebates from the federal and state government, as well as from your local utility聽company. We can help you聽figure out聽this process.
- Finance your new furnace 辞谤听enroll in聽our exclusive聽HVAC Advantage Program™. For just one low monthly fee, you’ll聽get聽a new furnace with repairs and maintenance included.*
How Do I Know When to Replace My Furnace?
Now that you know what to聽look聽for in a new furnace, when should you replace your聽old聽one? Here are a few聽tips聽from our Experts that will help you聽make that decision.
Age
Heating systems聽usually聽last 15–20 years. How long yours will聽keep going聽depends on whether you’ve聽done聽furnace maintenance, where you live and your聽temperature preferences. If you’re聽somewhere聽with harsh winters, your furnace will聽run聽more聽often, potentially making it wear out聽faster. The same聽goes聽if you like to keep your home at a聽warmer聽temperature.
Repair Frequency and Cost
Just like any appliance, as furnaces聽get older, the聽likelihood聽for frequent聽furnace repair聽increases. If your system is more than 15 years old, those repairs can be聽costly. Common and聽expensive聽repairs on an older furnace include:
- Blower motor failures
- Ignition control failures
- Heat exchanger failures
If repairs are聽greater聽than the half the聽price聽of a new furnace, it’s generally聽best聽to replace it.
Energy Efficiency
Furnaces older than 15 years can be聽extremely聽inefficient. You could be聽wasting聽as much as 30% of the money you spend to聽keep your home warm.聽High聽energy costs and the desire to聽decrease聽energy聽use聽are also strong reasons to聽think about聽replacing your furnace. In fact, an independent study by Decision Analyst聽reveals聽nearly 20% of homeowners who recently replaced their furnace specifically did so to聽lower聽their聽energy聽bills.
Trust Your Furnace Replacement to the Experts
It can聽feel聽overwhelming聽trying to聽research聽furnace features on your own. Or聽know聽exactly when you should聽replace your聽furnace. Our聽天美传媒聽Experts are here to make the process much聽simpler.聽more convenient聽us at (866) 963-7996 辞谤听schedule an appointment online聽to聽request聽your free home comfort assessment聽today.
*For HVAC Service Memberships, certain warranty exclusions and limitations apply. See your signed agreement for full terms and conditions. For the Advantage Program™, please see your signed Advantage Program Agreement for full details and exclusions. Lease with approved credit; visit ServiceExperts.com for details.
