Tips To Improve Your Furnace Performance at Home

Aug. 12, 2011 - PRLog -- Replacing a furnace is a common situation and there may be many reasons you have to consider a new furnace. Old furnaces can be costly because they often perform poorly and lose heat and energy. Older furnaces are often noisy because they don't perform properly. A furnace often breaks because its equipment is poorly maintained. Furnace repairs are often costly and sometimes it makes more sense to consider a new furnace. When you are shopping for a new furnace a major factor to consider is energy efficiency. An inefficient furnace will not only waste energy which is bad for the environment, it will also waste your money and you may find you are spending hundreds more on heating costs than you need to. It is economical to invest in a new, energy efficient furnace. Purchasing a high efficiency furnace with an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) of 94% or more is a great way to lower heating expenses and save money..

There are many furnace types that you can choose from so you need evaluate the pros and cons of each before purchasing a furnace for your home. Before you make a purchase you should ask what the AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) is of the furnace you are considering. The differences between a conventional and high efficiency furnace are large when it comes to AFUE. A high efficiency furnaces has an AFUE of 94% or more while a conventional furnace has an AFUE of 60-65%. If you are using a conventional furnace you are wasting approximately 35-40% of energy for every dollar you spend. Compared to a conventional furnace a mid efficiency furnace will save about 20-23% in gas heating costs since it has an AFUE rating of approximately 80%. With a high efficiency furnace you can expect to save 30 - 38% in gas heating costs in comparison to a conventional furnace. A high efficiency furnace is a good investment, although it may initially cost a little bit more you will save money in the long run. High efficiency furnaces are not only beneficial to the environment, they also improve the comfort of your home while saving you money..

When it comes to mid efficiency and high efficiency furnaces there are three basic types you can choose from - single stage, two stage and modulating. Whenever heat is required, a single stage furnace will run at full capacity. Single stage furnaces are not the most energy efficient options because they will run at full capacity even when your home only needs your furnace to run at 50%. Ultimately, with the single stage furnace once you turn it on it runs at full capacity until you turn it off again. For those of you who want to maintain a certain temperature in your home you will not find the single stage furnace ideal. A two stage furnace is better than a single stage furnace when it comes to energy efficiency. A two stage furnace runs in the first stage at 65% capacity and only kicks into full capacity when needed. A two stage furnace provides a more efficient method of heating your home. A two stage furnace makes your home more comfortable because it eliminates temperature jumps. Heating your home at a constant temperature will reduce temperature jumps..

A great option when it comes to mid-high efficiency furnaces is a modulating furnace because it provides up to 65 stages of heat output, which is a great option for energy efficiency. The electronically commutated motor (ECM) and variable speed of a modulating furnace allows it to operate longer, quietly and for less money. Modulating furnaces operate for a fraction of the cost of a standard furnace which will save you money on your heating costs. One of the great benefits of a modulating furnace is that it will reduce energy consumption by 80%. You can improve your air conditioning efficiency by up to 16% with a variable speed blower furnace as well as experience a quieter furnace. A great benefit of an ECM variable speed blower is that you can gain humidity control in your home through your furnace. Improving temperature stability in your home is easily done with an ECM blower motor which modulates heat. Air satification causes hot air to rise and cold air to drop which can be a heating issue in many homes. Blower motors prevent air satification.

To help your furnace life a long life and run smoothly you should perform regular maintenance. Regular maintenance is usually more affordable than repairing a furnace, which is why you shouldn`t wait until your furnace breaks. Consider your furnace a key house investment and protect it with regular maintenance. If your furnace breaks then your pipes can freeze and burst, causing you more problems. Maintaining your furnace regularly helps decrease your heating bills and your energy use. Regular furnace maintenance includes checking to make sure your coils and filters are clean. Not only should your filters and coils be clean you also want to make sure that the exhaust fans, pumps and burners perform well.There are a number of maintenance plans you can purchase that might provide an additional warranty on your furnace parts. Conduct regular furnace maintenance by scheduling maintenance pre season. Regular maintenance ensures that your furnace will continue to meet efficiency specifications.

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