Installing a new furnace is a task that should always be left to the professionals, but you should know what to look for in a contractor to be sure the process goes smoothly. You also should know what furnace features to look for so you can save money and stay comfortable throughout our Indiana winter.
Follow these tips to help ensure that you choose the right professional for installing a new furnace:
- Ask for proof of local licensing and insurance
- Make sure the company has a long history of success
- Ask for references and speak to other customers
- Work with a contractor that provides a warranty on installation and equipment
- Sign up for an annual maintenance program to maximize the life of your equipment
- Get an estimate and make sure you understand all the details
Work with your heating and cooling contractor to determine the heating load of your home. This will help you decide what size furnace to buy. Incorrectly sized furnaces – whether too small or too big – do not use energy efficiently and can result in other problems, so this is an important step. After you know what size you need, look for a model with the Energy Star label. Your contractor can also help you decide what AFUE rating to look for as well. This number tells you how efficiently the system converts fuel into heat, and can help you estimate future savings on utility bills.
Additional furnace features to look for are a condensing system and an efficient blower motor. A condensing furnace will capture and use the byproducts of combustion, making the system more efficient. A variable speed blower motor, sometimes called an electronically commutated motor, or ECM, reduces the amount of electricity consumed while adapting its speed to your home's temperature needs.
Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning is here to help you with installing a new furnace or any of your other home comfort and energy saving needs. Give us a call any time to schedule installation or service. You can also schedule an appointment online. We'll help you select a correctly sized heating system with all the efficiency features you need to save money on monthly heating costs.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about installing a new furnace and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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