When it’s time to replace your furnace, there are a number of things you should think about before making a judgement on a particular replacement furnace. With your home and your family’s needs in mind, US Air Heating and Cooling can help you choose the furnace that will keep your home warm and comfortable.
Fuel Source
One of the first things you need to consider is which fuel source your new furnace will use. The majority of furnaces in North America utilize natural gas, but some residences are set up to use liquified petroleum gas, propane or even electricity. It’s critical to know which type of fuel is needed for your new furnace.
Furnace Type
You’ll also want to determine which type of furnace you’d prefer to appropriately meet your needs. Furnaces are available in single-stage, two-stage or variable capacity models. A single-stage furnace blows heat continually at one speed and isn’t the strongest in efficiency among these options. A two-stage furnace works great for many homes. Stage one of a two-stage furnace works at about 65 percent of its capacity, and stage two will kick in for a heating blast on the chilly Rock Hill days. However, if you want to go for the best choice in flexibility and efficiency, a variable capacity furnace may be a good option.
Different from single- and two-stage models, variable capacity furnaces don’t have a certain number of stages to go through to create heat. A variable capacity furnace can actually run at different capacities to answer your heating needs.
Zoning
Whether you want to incorporate a zoning system with your replacement furnace is another thing to think about. You could save costs by more efficiently using your furnace to heat the areas you typically use, rather than trying to keep the whole house at the same temperature. If you want more to know more about zoning solutions for your home, US Air Heating and Cooling can help.
Size
Another important part of picking the best furnace for your home is making sure it’s the proper size for your home. If your furnace is too large for your home’s heating needs, it will waste a lot of energy incessantly cycling on and off. If your furnace is too small, it won’t be able to provide adequate heat on the coldest Rock Hill days.
Efficiency
Last, but certainly not least, you need to consider your furnace’s energy efficiency rating. A furnace’s efficiency is determined by annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). This rating signifies the ratio of annual heat output of the furnace compared to the total annual fossil fuel energy it consumes. For example, an 80 percent AFUE rating means that 80 percent of energy in the fuel heats the home and the other 20 percent escapes through places like the furnace venting. For a high-efficiency furnace, you’ll want to look for an AFUE rating of 90 to 98.7 percent.
As you can see, it helps to do some research when shopping for a replacement furnace. But, we can help. US Air Heating and Cooling is here to answer all of your questions and help you select a furnace that fits your home and heating needs. Just give us a call at 803-220-0761 or schedule an appointment with us online.