How to Evaluate Furnaces

A furnace is an important major household appliance. Having an effective, reliable furnace goes a long way to keeping your family comfortable all winter long. Choosing a furnace is not as complicated as it may seem. You simply need to evaluate and compare a few key aspects to select the best furnace for your household.

• 1

  Ask your furnace contractor to do a load calculation test. This test determines the right size furnace for your home. Only a qualified furnace contractor should perform this test.

• 2

  Check out the efficiency of the furnaces you are evaluating. The efficiency rating is referred to as an AFUE rating. High-efficiency furnace models have an AFUE rating of 90 percent, while standard is 80 percent. If you live in a very cold climate or have higher-than-normal heating costs, consider an ultra high-efficiency furnace, which has a rating of about 95 percent.

• 3

  Look to see if the furnace you are evaluating has more than one state of operation. Single-stage-operation furnaces can only be turned on high and may cause uneven fluctuations in temperature. A two-stage-operation furnace allows you to set it on low for milder days and high for cold days, which creates a more consistent temperature in your home.

• 4

  Find out if the furnace has a variable speed motor. A variable speed motor circulates hot air through your home more efficiently, which may help cut down on energy costs.