Gas Furnace Comparison
With the cost of electric and other heating sources raising yearly you may find yourself looking for a more efficient way to heat your home. Natural Gas/ Propane are proving to be much more efficient and economical and may be the way to go.
Efficiency
Gas furnaces come listed in class by their efficiency. The higher the efficiency the more costly as you may have guessed. We will begin this journey of discovery by looking into each of these classes and what they mean, so that you have a better understanding of what you need for your home.
The 80% efficiency furnaces are low in efficiency. Of course you will have larger gas bills when you use one of these models, but if you want to install for less these models are usually much cheaper to purchase.
Savings
The 93% efficiency furnaces offer a 13% higher efficiency than the lower class, thus saving you 13% on the gas bills. The cost for this type of system is slightly higher to purchase, however it will cost you less in the long run. The 93% efficiency furnace comes with the downflow configuration.
Finally there is the 95% efficiency furnace that offers the highest efficiency for your home. These systems are costly but well worth it. If at all possible try to buy these higher end models so you can cut down on your monthly gas bills. These furnaces qualify for federal government energy tax credit of $150-$200. The 95% furnace is not available with a downflow configuration.
Stay with the Best
If you come across anything lower than these it is best to steer clear of it. It is best to wait until you can afford to place one of the higher efficiency units in the home than to run a lower efficiency unit and pay large gas bills. It defeats the purpose of upgrading your homes heating.
Of course you will need to have a professional come examine the area you are placing the furnace and to help determine your unit needs. Larger homes require larger units and so on.
After your needs are determined you can begin shopping for your unit. You may choose to install it yourself or hire a heating/ air conditioning company to do it for you. In either case it is best to be informed.
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