How Large Should the Furnace Be?

A furnace too big, wastes energy, and too small, doesn’t heat your home well.

Beyond performs a custom load calculation. This standard HVAC industry formula uses a long list of details, including the number of square feet in your home, the amount of shade around your home, the amount of insulation, the types of building materials, the number of occupants, and the number of windows.

How Is Efficiency Measured?

Furnace manufacturers try to make units that burn fuel efficiently and don’t need much energy to run the blowers or fans that circulate heat. The standard measurement of fuel efficiency for furnaces is called an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency or AFUE rating. All new furnaces must have a label with an AFUE rating and the furnace’s estimated annual operating costs under different conditions. This makes comparison shopping easier.

How Much Will Installation Cost?

The cost of a new furnace varies depending on the type of furnace, the capacity, add-on accessories, and the cost of installation. Installation usually takes about a day, but it can take up to a week if you replace your ductwork as well.

What Are the Best HVAC Accessories?

A humidifier uses a humidistat that controls the humidity in your home just like a thermostat controls the temperature. Furnaces often make indoor air too dry in fall and winter, causing cracks in hardwood floors, static electricity, dry skin, sore throats, frequent cold or flu symptoms, and aggravated asthma or allergies.

Ultraviolet or UV lamps kill viruses, bacteria, mold, dust mites, and other pests by damaging their DNA. Air sterilization UV lamps fit inside your ductwork, and they only come on when your furnace’s blower is on, so they’re very efficient.

Air cleaners or air purifiers capture contaminants with high-quality air filters. The devices with the highest MERV or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value can even remove some bacteria and viruses.

What Types of Furnaces are Available?

Most central heating and cooling systems are split systems with a condenser, a furnace, and a coil that sits on top of the furnace. Packaged systems provide the same heating and cooling as split systems, but all the components fit in one indoor unit.

A variable-speed furnace can change the speed of its blower as it distributes air through your home. It goes faster when the temperature is lower outside and slows down when the weather is milder.

Natural gas furnaces are currently the least expensive way to heat your home when the weather is below freezing.