by Joe Brooks

Created on: December 10, 2010

What will you be looking for when you choose your next home furnace? Will you be listening to your environmental conscience, and choosing the most efficient model you can find, in order to protect the environment and save the planet's resources? Or will you be considering the state of your bank account to be the highest priority? Hopefully you will do your research, become an informed consumer, and balance these factors when choosing your next furnace.

Your choice, unless you are purchasing a furnace for a newly-constructed home, may depend to a degree on what is already there. If you have a gas furnace now, you will likely want to take advantage of the lines already run and and perhaps the venting and ducting as well. Fortunately for you, gas furnaces are among the most fuel efficient modern furnaces. Replacing a furnace installed thirty years ago and on its last legs can take your fuel efficiency rating from a bit over fifty percent to nearly one hundred percent fuel efficiency for the best of the modern furnaces.

If you have an electric furnace now, you may consider whether to go with an electric furnace system or replace it with a gas furnace. Gas furnaces often cost more to purchase and install, but they pay off in cheaper fuel costs, long life, and high fuel efficiency. An electric furnace, on the other hand, may be considerably less costly to purchase and install than the gas model. Electric furnaces can be very efficient as well. With "green" electric power becoming more and more available, the electric furnace could be a very good choice from the standpoint of environmental consciousness.

Although gas and electric furnaces are common choices there are other fuel types to evaluate. Oil may be big where you are, and could be the best choice for you. It would be good to consult friends and family, and then ask the advice of professional heating contractors as well. Perhaps you are in a rural area, where gas lines are not available, and electricity would be expensive. You may do well to research alternative type furnaces, fueled by wood pellets or other biomass fuels. One of these furnaces could be your main heating source, or could supplement your use of electricity.

When getting ready to choose your new furnace, you will be well advised to consult a qualified heating specialist for advice. Your new furnace should be big enough, but not overly large. A too-large system will not heat your home better; in fact it may be less efficient and wear out more quickly than a properly-sized unit. The ducting must also be right for the furnace. Your local heating professional will be able to advise you on what is best for your area and for your home.

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