In order to make the best choice in buying the right furnace for your home, you need to first do your research! That’s why the furnace buying guide created by the experts at Fahrhall is the perfect place to learn what you need to know!
If you’re interested in upgrading your older furnace to something more energy-efficient or perhaps you’re looking to buy a furnace for a new home, the experts at Fahrhall will have you covered every step of the way.
Explore Your Options
Before you can begin to consider details like efficiency, model, or brand, you must first decide which type of home heating is best for your space. Our furnace buying guide begins with choosing the right type of heating system to benefit your home and its individual needs.
Here are the two types of heating systems that you should first consider for your home:
Traditional Furnace
A traditional furnace creates its own heat to warm the home’s air, then it pushes the warmed air through the home’s ductwork to disperse it throughout the different rooms in the house. Furnaces heat evenly and can work regardless of how cold it becomes outside, and they run on some form of fuel to generate heat–generally natural gas. Furnaces are the most common method of heating homes in Ontario, as they’re very reliable and powerful, however, they can be somewhat energy-inefficient and they require that you have preexisting ductwork in your home.
Ductless Heat Pumps
Most heat pumps are ductless, meaning they do not require the home to have preexisting ductwork to disperse heat. Instead, individual indoor units are installed throughout the home to distribute heat. Unlike traditional furnaces, heat pumps run on electricity and warm the home by taking the heat from the air outside, bringing in fresh warm air. Heat pumps can be used on their own or alongside a traditional furnace to add supplementary heating to spaces that need some extra help. While heat pumps are much more energy-efficient than a traditional furnace, they cannot extract heat from the outdoor air after the temperature drops below -26 Celsius; at that point, it is necessary to have another system to rely upon through the coldest times in the winter.
Ratings & Efficiencies
When purchasing a new furnace, it can be really tempting to only consider what’s on the price tag, however, what matters most is not the initial cost but the monthly energy consumption and correlated monthly utility bills that you’ll be paying throughout the life of your furnace. The next part of our furnace buying guide is understanding the different furnace ratings and efficiencies and how they impact making the right choice for the best furnace for your home.
AFUE
Furnace efficiency is measured by the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) Rating. The higher the AFUE the more efficient the furnace will be. While furnaces with high AFUE ratings are more costly upfront, they will ultimately save the homeowner money by being both energy and cost-efficient month by month. Today’s high-efficiency furnaces can have an AFUE up to 96%!
BTUH
Furnace output capacity is measured in British Thermal Units per Hour (BTUH), this rating will tell you how adequately a furnace will be able to heat your home depending on the size of the space you have. It’s essential to always take your home’s square footage into account when in the market for a new furnace, but don’t count your basement.
MERV
The effectiveness of a furnace’s filter is measured by the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV). Basically, the MERV reports how efficient a furnace’s filter is at removing pollutants and particles from the air of your home. The higher the MERV rating, the higher quality air your furnace can provide.
Furnace Upgrades
At Fahrhall, while we stand by the furnaces we sell as phenomenal and efficient systems, we also know that every furnace can be improved in efficiency and quality by adding simple upgrades. If you’re interested in making your furnace the best it can possibly be, this part of the furnace buying guide is for you.
Smart Thermostats
There’s a reason why smart thermostats have recently become all the rage! Smart thermostats go above and beyond the simple function of controlling your home’s temperature: they give the homeowner complete control by allowing them to access their thermostat and their furnace anywhere in the world with a wireless device, by working to save as much energy as possible, and even by adjusting the temperature to the homeowner’s daily schedule. A smart thermostat will help you get the most out of your furnace and will help you save energy and money.
Whole Home Air Purifiers
During the winter months, your home can become very dry leading to poor air quality, dry skin, and even difficulty breathing for those with asthma or other respiratory problems. During the winter, many Canadians decide to install a whole-home humidifier to work alongside their furnace to keep the entirety of their home humid throughout the driest time of the year. When you rely on a whole-home humidifier you can quite literally breathe easy during the winter and feel comfortable knowing that your home won’t become too dry.
Purchasing Options
Once you’ve decided which system is right for you judging by the several factors above, it’s time to make the purchase! While a furnace is a great investment into your home and your comfort, it’s also a significant purchase that can leave some homeowners feeling nervous. Well, fear not, because we understand that every home and every budget is different and not everyone wants to pay for their furnace outright. That’s why in this portion of the furnace buying guide, we’ll explain your buying options.
Financing
Instead of paying outright for your system, consider financing it. When you decide to finance your furnace, you’re making payments towards ownership and eventually having the system completely belong to you. This makes far more sense than renting because the payments are purposeful and lead to you owning the system, and our experts at Fahrhall are always happy to help you figure out the best payment plan for your home and your budget.
Rebates
Even if you do decide to purchase your system outright, who doesn’t love a good deal? At Fahrhall, we’re always excited to help our customers get the best possible price on their furnace, and that isn’t difficult to do with constant rebates offered throughout the year from both manufacturers and the government. The best time to search for rebates for a new furnace is during the off-season when there are fewer homeowners in the market for a new heating system.
Protecting Your Investment
A furnace is a significant investment for any homeowner, and that means it’s important to treat it as such. The best way to protect your investment is to take good care of it. That means changing the furnace filter regularly, scheduling annual preventative maintenance, and keeping the warranty valid.
Manufacturer Warranties
Before purchasing your new furnace, it’s important to learn about the warranty provided by the manufacturer. While most warranties are standard and cover certain manufacturer issues for a period of time, some are better than others and it pays to have the understanding.
Protection Plans
While a manufacturer’s warranty will cover faulty parts or potentially breakdowns of the system, it doesn’t cover costs of repair, replacement parts, or the preventive maintenance that keeps your system running and the warranty valid. That’s where protection plans come in! Protection plans cost a set amount each month and cover your system for an array of costs including parts, repairs, maintenance, and emergencies.
Why Choose a Fahrhall Protection Plan?
Peace of Mind
Regular inspections and maintenance keep systems operating safely, reliably and at peak efficiency.
Professional Technicians
All of our technicians are fully licensed, trained professionals. You can trust your HVAC system is in good hands.
Affordable Protection
Furnace and air conditioner plans start as low as $9.92 a month (taxes included).
Flexible Coverage
You have the ability to add plans for all the systems in your home.
Following this buying guide can help you find the best system for your home and reduce the stress of buying a new heating system, but it’s no match for a consultation with an experienced HVAC technician.
Need help finding the right heating system for your home?
Get a FREE quote from the experts at Fahrhall!
Fahrhall has been proudly serving the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent regions since 1967. We are committed to providing our customers and our community with reliable service and quality equipment.
