Home Heating-Cooling

There are so many different heating systems available today, that the good old furnace has gone into hiding. But even today many people prefer the furnace over other newer heating methods. The furnace also has different options and you can choose the best one for you. Cost effectiveness is one of the key factors that you need to take into consideration while buying a furnace. You can choose the furnace according to the energy source that is used to power the furnace.

Gas Or Electric Furnace: These two are the main types of furnaces that are used everywhere. One is powered by gas and the other by electricity. Gas might be more readily available at all times. But gas also generates a lot of fumes and is not really environment friendly. However, to counter this problem many gas powered furnaces have an exit vent which releases the fumes out of the house. Maintaining the gas furnace is also tougher and more expensive than the electric furnace. It needs to be regularly checked for cracks or leaks which will bring the noxious fumes into the home. Electric furnaces are much cheaper and environment friendly since there are no fumes at all. However, the furnace might be rendered useless in times when there is no electricity.

Factors Affecting Furnace Performance

There are many factors which affect the performance of the furnace. These factors like the quality, the efficiency and added features can actually determine how long the furnace will perform without you having to shell out extra money.

• Quality: When it comes to quality, you can buy furnaces of all kinds of quality. From cheap economy ones to pricey high quality ones, every kind of furnace is available in the market. It is better to buy a good quality one as they require very little maintenance and last long enough.
• Efficiency: You can get low efficiency, mid efficiency and high efficiency furnaces all for different price ranges. It is the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency or AFUE ratings which determine how efficient a furnace is. The higher the rating, lesser the amount of fuel needed for the furnace to perform at its optimum. In simpler terms a furnace with a higher rating may cost more but in the long run it will save you a lot of money. Since 1992, a minimum rating of 78% is needed for a furnace. The high efficiency furnaces have a rating near 96% or more. However these are most expensive. You can also look for added features like pre set timer, silent working mode, a fan which reduces consumption etc.