There’s no doubt that natural gas furnaces are going to be the cheapest type of furnace to run. Natural gas burns at a much hotter temperature than other fuels, which makes it ideal for heating up your home quickly in cold weather. When it comes time to invest in your next gas furnace, there are different tips that you want to implement to ensure that you choose the right one for your home.
Heating Capacity
Probably the most important thing you want to consider is the overall size of your new gas furnace. Getting an appropriately sized furnace will help to ensure that it operates efficiently and is capable of keeping your home comfortable. Contrary to popular belief, bigger isn’t always better when it comes to furnaces. If you get a furnace that is too large for your home, it will continually shortcycle and drive up your utility costs.
However, if you try to skimp and go with a small unit, it’s going to run constantly and struggle to get your home up to your desired temperature. A quick method for determining a ballpark heating capacity for your new heating system is to multiply your home’s total square footage by 30 BTUs. However, before purchasing a new gas furnace, ensure that you have a heating professional use precise formulas to determine the exact heating capacity that your new furnace needs to have.
Standard vs. High-Efficiency Units
Another factor that you’ll be faced with when choosing a new gas furnace is its efficiency level. All furnaces will be given an efficiency rating known as AFUE for short. In general, the higher the rating, the more efficient the system will be. Natural gas furnaces come in two different styles: standard efficiency and high efficiency.
Standard-efficiency furnaces will have an efficiency rating in the 80% range. A high-efficiency unit will operate in the 90% range. There’s no doubt that high-efficiency furnaces will save you a ton of money on utility bills throughout the winter. However, they do come at a costlier upfront price.
Burner Type
Furnaces come with varying degrees of burner stages, including single-stage, two-stage, and modulating. Single-stage furnaces function with the burner fully on or off. This type of burner can lead to more temperature inconsistencies in your home, which is not great for overall comfort. Two-stage furnaces offer two different run modes — high and low. During milder days, it will run on its low setting where it uses less energy to keep your home warm.
Lastly, we have the modulating burner. This is a more expensive option but allows your burner to adjust to different levels depending on your temperature needs. Instead of just having high or low modes, a modulating burner can adjust anywhere in between. A modulating burner gives your furnace the ability to always be running at its peak efficiency level while keeping your home comfortable throughout the winter.
Blower Type
Just as gas furnaces come with different types of burners, they also come with different types of blower fans. Furnaces can have a single-speed, multi-speed, or variable-speed burner. A single-speed operates at either full capacity or off. A multi-speed blower has three settings. This gives you more control over your comfort and the overall efficiency of your furnace.
Variable-speed blower motors can make incremental adjustments based on whatever operation is most efficient at the time. Variable-speed blowers do cost more than single-speed. However, you can recover those extra costs thanks to the efficiency improvements.
Zone Control
When you upgrade to a new gas furnace, it’s also important to consider whether or not using HVAC zoning would be beneficial. HVAC zoning is where your home is dispersed into different zones that can be separately heated based on their own thermostat setting. For example, if you have a two-story home, you’ll likely have two different zones. One zone will be for the upstairs level, and one zone will be for the downstairs level. By including HVAC zoning with your new furnace purchase, you can be more efficient with its usage by only heating one area of your home. This can be highly beneficial when you experience drastic temperature differences between zones.
Tax Incentives
One thing that you want to take into consideration when choosing the type of gas furnace that you want is the available tax incentives. It’s very common for high-efficiency gas furnaces to qualify for a federal tax incentive. This can allow you to recoup some of the upfront investment costs for the furnace in the form of a tax credit. You can learn which gas furnaces qualify for tax credits by checking the ENERGY STAR website.
Price and Warranty Coverage
Two factors that you never want to overlook when deciding on the right gas furnace for your home are the upfront cost and the warranty coverage that comes along with the unit. In general, high-efficiency furnaces that offer features like a modulating burner and variable-speed blower motor are going to be more expensive than a standard-efficiency furnace with a single-speed blower motor and a single-stage burner.
When it comes to warranty coverage, there are a couple of different types that will come along with your new furnace. These include the manufacturer’s warranty and the installer’s warranty. Most gas furnaces will come with a 10-year warranty for parts alongside a 20-year warranty for the heat exchanger. The installer’s warranty can vary tremendously depending on what HVAC installer you use, with around five to 10 years being the most common.
Thermostat Type
When you invest in a new furnace, it’s typically best to invest in a new thermostat as well. Thermostats tend to have a lifespan very similar to that of a furnace. Nowadays, there are a couple of different types of thermostats that you can buy, with programmable and smart thermostats being some of the best. Smart thermostats are a bit costlier than typical programmable thermostats. However, they provide many advantages that homeowners tend to love.
When looking at smart thermostats, there are basic thermostats and learning thermostats. Basic smart thermostats give you the ability to control your temperature settings from the convenience of your smartphone. You can program in a set schedule to help optimize your energy usage throughout the winter. You can even receive alerts when it’s time for an air filter change or something goes wrong with your system.
A learning smart thermostat provides all the benefits of a basic smart thermostat. It also offers the added advantage of monitoring your energy usage and making automatic adjustments as it learns from your manual adjustments. These learning thermostats can be ideal for helping you to better optimize your energy usage throughout the entire winter season.
Expert Gas Furnace Installation Service
Cool Zone Air Conditioning & Heating offers expert gas furnace installation service to the greater Phoenix, AZ area. We can help with all your heating, air conditioning, ductwork, indoor air quality, and commercial needs. Schedule an appointment by calling our friendly office staff today.
