How to pick the right furnace

Ready for a new furnace but don’t know where to start?

Here are a few tips.

Furnaces sold today in Canada are all high efficient units! Chances are your big, bulky and old furnace can be reduced in gas consumption and physical size. 

Efficiency

Gas efficiency is an important consideration. For example, if you have an 80,000BTU furnace you can now get a 60,000BTU furnace replacement (in most cases!). Chances are your old furnace is 83% or so efficient, so it consumes more gas to produce heat. New furnaces range from 92-98% efficient. Another option is, if you want to go high end and most efficient then a modulating furnace may be the best for your house. It will use as much gas as it needs to heat your house. Ask us for more info and we can help.

BUT WAIT! 

Efficiency does not stop at gas. You need to consider the blower motor!

Your options range from the most efficient ECM motor to multi-speed PCM motors.

ECM motor’s are electronically commutated motors which use as much power as they need to. They are a true variable speed motor. They can compute the power to overcome the ductwork in your house, dirty filters or restrictive filers.

PCM motors are 3 speed and no inbetween, hence less efficient, but very common still.

So a few hundred dollars more for an ECM motor can be well worth it. They may be more expensive to replace, but most furnaces come with 5-10 year warranties and the savings on your electrical bill can add up.

DON’T TRUST ALL THOSE ONLINE REVIEWS!

Keep in mind when checking out online reviews for furnaces that many people have had issues with any brand and any part. For example, if you check out York furnaces on a consumer report website and all you can see is negative reviews… then consider the website you are reading. You may find Coleman produces great furnaces and York doesn’t… well the parent company of both those furnaces is Johnson Controls and most parts are the same and carry the same reliability.  If you stick to a major brand that has a long standing reputation then you typically don’t have anything to worry about.

With all that said, we recommend to get your furnace checked over once a year, no matter what brand you have. Think of it like an oil change for your car.

Have any questions about furnaces? Feel free to give us a call or email through the website. 

–Tyler