A Guide to Energy-Efficient Home Heating Systems

When winter arrives, there's nothing more significant than your home's heating system.  Purchasing energy efficient home heating systems is one of the most significant investments you can make to ensure your family's comfort. In fact, heating your home typically uses more money and energy than any other system in your home constituting approximately 42% of your entire utility bill. Most North American households buy a furnace to provide heat and today's systems are more efficient and reliable than ever before. Nevertheless, there are multiple factors you should consider before investing in a new heating system. Here's a guide on energy-efficient home heating systems.

Energy Efficient Systems

Furnace

Furnaces are the most commonly chosen device used to heat air for commercial buildings and residential homes and are one of the oldest kinds of heating systems in use today. While older versions were wood or gas-powered, today's contemporary versions generate heat with the use of electricity or by burning propane or natural gas. Numerous kinds of furnaces exist, including two-stage, single stage, and variable speed. Each has its specific features, efficiency ratings, and costs. If you don't know which furnace to purchase, our professionals can assist you with the decision by conducting a thorough evaluation and inspection of your home. We can also reveal any deficiencies in your home such as insufficient insulation, possible air leaks around doors, windows, and external doors as well as upgrades essential to enhancing your home's cooling and heating efficiency. A gas furnace is one of the most energy-efficient solutions you can have us install because they function at the highest efficiency ratings of any furnace kind. Nevertheless, you should bear in mind that not all gas furnaces are created equal, and selecting the appropriate one will make a huge difference in how efficiently you heat your home and the amount you can save on your energy costs.

Heat Pumps

These devices use a refrigerant cycle similar to that of an air conditioner, but they can also overturn the cycle to deliver heat to your home. When choosing a new pump, it is best to consider a high seasonal efficiency. The higher it is, the lower your yearly heating energy expenses will be.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Furnace

Size

When purchasing any type of furnace, you must ensure that the specifications of the furnace meet your needs. If it's too small, it won't keep your home comfortable during extremely cold weather. One that's too big will cycle off and on often, placing more wear on its parts, wasting energy, and causing considerable temperature variations. Also, a bigger replacement furnace might need bigger ducts. Without the appropriate size ducts, you can expect noisy airflow. To be certain of appropriate sizing and installation of a furnace heating system, our reputable company will take the time to determine your heating needs according to industry standards such as your home's size, construction, and design.

Efficiency

Currently, gas is the most common fuel for heating homes. The efficiency of a furnace to convert gas into heating energy reflects in its AFUE or annual fuel-utilization-efficiency rating. This measurement reads as a percentage. If environmental considerations play a role in influencing your decision as to which furnace to purchase, you should know that efficient furnaces produce fewer emissions making them better for the environment. Over the years, furnaces have become more energy-efficient, but keep in mind that a furnace's price generally increases in proportion to its fuel efficiency. Therefore, a furnace whose AFUE is 90% might cost $1,000 more than a unit of comparable size with an 80% AFUE.

Overall Cost

When considering the expense of buying a new furnace, we recommend you examine both the initial and long-term costs of running and maintaining the system. Our expert heating contractors are in a position to offer approximations of typical maintenance cost on most furnace brands. In numerous homes, the heating system is the biggest single constituent that uses home energy which means that they have a considerable impact on general energy costs. If you have a system that's over 20 years, you're probably spending a substantial amount of money to keep your system running. Wouldn’t you rather spend your resources on a more efficient heating system? If you are considering buying a new home or installing a new heating system in your current home, we highly recommend an efficient and well-designed heating system. Your home's heating system is crucial not just to your comfort but also to the amount you spend on energy costs. Therefore, it's imperative you make the right decision during your purchase. Call us at HVACDirect today for advice on the most efficient heating systems for your home.