If your old furnace has stopped working entirely, or it’s time to consider replacing it with a more efficient model, here are a few tips on making a furnace buying decision. Kingston Home Heating recommends treating your furnace as a long-term investment. Consider features that offer more safety and variable speed blowers to increase comfort.
The biggest differences between the most expensive and least expensive furnace models boil down to energy efficiency, comfort, and warranties. If your furnace was installed before 1992, it is probably obsolete. If your furnace has a standing pilot light instead of electronic ignition, consider this to be another sign that it is an energy waster.
Circumstances will dictate the actual cost of replacing an old furnace with a new, high-efficiency model. The new unit can be connected to the existing duct work and the cost, including installation, depends on the equipment you choose. Of course, the higher the efficiency, the higher the cost of the unit. In our cold Canadian winter climate, it’s often wisest to buy the highest efficiency you can afford.
Check out the ENERGY STAR ratings and choose a model that offers better efficiency. Ask your Kingston Home Heating representative to help you figure the payback in terms of energy savings.
Features to look for to ensure quiet, dependable, long-lasting performance include heat exchangers that resist corrosion, direct-drive blower units, induced draft blowers, pressure switches, and an insulated blower compartment, which helps minimize operating noise.
During the past few years, manufacturers have used several innovations to boost efficiency. High-efficiency furnaces keep close control over the amount of air mixed with gas and vary the speed of the blower motor depending upon the demands of the home. “Sealed combustion,” which means bringing all combustion air from outdoors and mixing it with the fuel at a controlled rate, maximizes heat from the fuel. One early advancement was the move from the standing pilot light, which burns gas even when the furnace is dormant, to electronic ignition, which fires the furnace on demand.
Look for a contractor you see in your community whose close by to provide you faster, more convenient service, offers recognized name brands, and has a well-stocked inventory of replacement parts. A good HVAC company like Kingston Home Heating can help install the furnace properly and ensure peak performance of the new system.
Since 1990, Kingston Home Heating has grown to become one of the largest and most reputable heating contractors in Kingston.
If you would like to learn more about Kingston Home Heating or any of our other services, don't wait to call us at 613-389-5544.