The confusing world of furnaces, made clear.
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to furnace replacement in your home, and if you’ve even started to look into it, you might be baffled by the amount of options, specifications, brands and models that you’re bombarded with, not to mention furnace costs. You might be thinking that it’s time to call an expert, but how can you be sure that they aren’t just trying to sell you a furnace from a brand they have a partnership with? Or that they’re just going to try and sell you the most expensive model they can, even if that’s not the most optimal model for your needs?
Well, first of all, we want you to know that at Vredevoogd Heating & Cooling, we’re extremely concerned about your needs and budget, so our furnace pricing is straightforward and we’re only ever going to help you find the right furnace for your home—no more and no less. To prove that, here is some information for you, so you can start getting sound furnace advice before you even talk to us!
Demystifying a furnace purchase
Bear in mind that in any industry there are overpriced units. So if you are looking to invest more in a furnace, be sure that it has all the features that you should be getting at that price point. If you invest more in a furnace, you should be getting a more efficient and quieter furnace which gives you better air quality. Basically, if you’re spending a lot of money on a furnace, it should be because in the long run it will save you money and frustration.
Unraveling the furnace mystery:
- Stages: Essentially, stages refer to the intensity at which the furnace produces heat. It’s easy to use speed as a metaphor, here, even though we’re really talking about heat production. A single-stage furnace has one speed—high. When it turns on, it’s at full throttle. When it turns off, it’s off. There’s nothing in between. While single-stage models are cheaper, they can cost you more money in energy bills because any time they are on, they will be blasting out heat as powerfully as they can. By adding another stage, you add efficiency. Two-stage furnaces will run at a lower stage most of the time, saving you energy when your heating needs are less. They will only go to the most powerful stage when really needed, like when the temperature significantly drops in the winter. After that, there are multi-stage furnaces After that, there are multi-stage furnaces which take the staging a step further, allowing for even more levels of comfort. Multi-stage furnaces are the most expensive option, but they are also the most efficient.
- AFUE: AFUE stands for “Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency” and measures the energy efficiency of your furnace. The higher the number, the better for your long-term costs.
- Load Calculation: The measurement by which the heating industry determines how much energy (BTUs) it will take to heat your home.
If you’re done researching, contact us! We offer the Vredevoogd Heating & Cooling Comfort Guarantee, which means we guarantee that the system we sell you will perform the way we say it will—or we’ll replace it for free! We’re not here to sell you something you don’t need, we simply want to help meet the heating needs of our community. Get in touch with us and let’s find and install the best furnace for your budget, your home and your family.