A furnace is an essential item not only for your family’s day-to-day comfort but also a good investment for your home. And that’s why it’s necessary to conduct research on the available options so as to make informed decisions when looking to invest in furnace installation or repair. Having a furnace that runs efficiently will greatly reduce your energy utility bill and improve your home’s comfort, especially during winter. Here are the three most common types of furnaces for your consideration.
Electric Furnace
An electric furnace is one of the most common and environmentally friendly home heating options, particularly for areas that experience both hot or mixed temperatures. Its popularity can be attributed to low repair and installation cost. However, due to high fuel cost, electric furnace remains expensive to operate compared to other heating systems.
The operating cost of an electric furnace varies based on the size of the home, the cost of energy, climate conditions and the type of electric furnace. In addition to low setup costs, an electric furnace is much safer than other options as it does not require special venting and piping running throughout your house. Choosing a high-efficiency electric furnace and investing in proper furnace installation can guarantee you 15-20 years of service.
Oil furnace
Oil furnaces are not a popular option when it comes to home heating this is because of the unstable oil prices. However, they are a suitable option for colder weather climates. Oil furnaces are likened to the current pressure burners commonly used as water heaters for both commercial and residential applications. When it comes to oil furnace installation, you’ll have to part away with additional cost and also factor in space where fuel storage tank will be fitted.
In this type of heating system, oil is pumped into a combustion chamber where it changes into mist mixed with air. The fuel mixed with air is then injected burner and ignited using an electric spark.
Gas furnace
The gas furnace is perhaps the most common type central heating system and it’s ideal for extreme winter condition areas. Unlike electric furnace installation, gas furnaces have high setup costs as they involve a lot of venting and piping around the house. The advantage, however, is that gas furnaces have significantly low monthly operating costs and are considered to be the most efficient type of home heating system.
In addition to the high cost of installation, gas furnaces require regular duct cleaning, annual inspections and filter replacement. This is to ensure that they run as efficiently as possible while reducing the risk associated with leaking gas pipes.
If you are looking to save money on energy while not compromising on your home’s comfort, experts recommend you assess all available heating options to find what works best for you. However, you may also consider insulating your home which can go along way in regulating internal home temperature by a few degrees. Keeping warm by wearing heavy clothes during winter is also a sure way of eliminating the need to run your furnace during colder seasons. At the very least, HVAC systems need to be inspected twice yearly for maximum efficiency.
You must be logged in to post a comment.