Things to Consider When Choosing an Energy Efficient Furnace

These days, everyone's trying to save some cash, and one great way to put money back in your pocket every month - especially during the winter - is to invest in an energy efficient furnace. Most furnaces last for about twenty-five years, but even if your furnace is only ten or fifteen years old, the models that are on the market today can probably far outshine it in terms of energy efficiency.

However, there are so many Energy Star rated models out there that you might have trouble choosing the right energy efficient furnace for you. There are lots of things to consider when you're making this decision, including the size of the furnace and the actual efficiency rating it gets. Start narrowing down your choices by size, and then figure out which energy efficient model is right for you.

Furnace Sizing

Obviously the large a furnace is, the more it will cost on a monthly basis to operate. Also, larger furnaces will cost more up front, and they may be slightly more expensive to install. If you're talking to an HVAC contractor to figure out what furnace you should get, be sure that the person performs a load calculation to determine what size furnace you need.

A load calculation should take into account things like the size of your home, how well insulated your walls and roof are, the number and size of windows and the rooms in your home, and other factors. This information will let you know what size furnace you need for your home, which is important because if the furnace you buy is too large, it will frequently switch on and off and will be generally less efficient and more expensive.

Also, be sure that you don't assume when replacing your furnace that you should get whatever size the old furnace was. The furnace that is coming out is, for one thing, less efficient than the new model you're about to buy, and it may have been incorrectly sized in the first place.

Furnace Efficiency

Choosing how efficient you want your furnace to be is a different matter altogether. While furnace sizing is dependent on a number of objective calculations, the efficiency of your furnace will depend largely on what you can afford and what you prefer. You should always shoot for a furnace that is at least 80% efficient because otherwise you'll be paying a lot more for your energy than you should.

Beyond this, though, take into account some numbers. Any furnace that is more than 80% efficient is going to start getting pretty expensive. Most of the time, these furnaces can make up for the extra cost, but you'll want to ballpark estimate how much money the furnace will save you each year to figure out how long it will be before the furnace pays for itself.

If, for instance, you invest in a great furnace that will pay for itself within five years, that's probably a good investment. If, however, your furnace won't make up for its cost for ten years, and you're planning on moving before then, it might not be such a good idea. On the other hand, you may want to consider the problem from an ethical standpoint; if you believe in doing all you can to reduce your carbon footprint, you should buy the highest-efficiency furnace possible.