A relatively new innovation in home heating, the two-stage furnace, is making an appearance around the country. These appliances deliver on-paper energy savings, but their real-world performance is largely determined by climate. A little research is needed to determine whether a two-stage furnace is a good idea in the Twin Cities.
Most people don’t call a repair technician for their heating or cooling system until something has already gone wrong, and what might have been a minor problem before is now a big problem. Did you know that you can schedule regular checkups for your heating and/or air conditioning systems? There are quite a few reasons why more and more Twin Cities homeowners are signing up for planned maintenance.
Before you invest in a new heating system, make sure that your HVAC contractor commits to do the furnace sizing carefully. Failing to do so could land you with a system that’s the wrong size. Considering how long winters last in Minnesota, a properly sized furnace will perform better, lower energy bills and have a longer life span than one that’s the wrong size.
When you have a problem with your home’s heating or cooling system, and go online or to the phonebook to find a professional HVAC contractor to address your issue, you’ll want to avoid just picking out the first name you see. Also, you’ll want to be wary of contractors soliciting work in your Twin Cities neighborhood, offering suspiciously low prices and quick work. If you need work done on your home heating or cooling system, take the following factors into account:
With the arrival of winter, temperatures plummet in the Twin Cities area. Although there are many things that you can do to keep your winter heating bills low, now’s the time to take action if you suspect your home is losing heat to the outdoors. Here are seven simple tips for reducing heat loss:
A condensing gas furnace recovers energy normally lost by conventional furnaces. In the standard forced-air gas furnace, some of the heat energy produced by burning natural gas goes up the exhaust vent with hot combustion gases. That’s the reason standard gas furnaces have always been limited to an AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating below 90 percent. A condensing gas furnace incorporates an extra heat exchanger to extract heat released when combustion gases condense. Condensing models break through that efficiency ceiling and offer AFUE ratings of 90-98 percent. However, efficiency ratings, household comfort and even safety assume an installation performed according to industry standards. Here’s what to watch for in the installation of a condensing furnace:
Owning a home entails a lot of choices you have to make about maintaining and improving it. Over the last decade, the importance of energy-efficiency upgrades has moved to the forefront in the face of rising energy costs. Most of the energy you consume inside your home is used for heating it, and projects that improve the home’s ability to resist thermal changes and reduce heating bills are time and money well spent.
The winter months are fast approaching. With the bitter cold of Minnesota, it is important to consider ways of optimizing furnace efficiency to ensure that you stay warm all winter long. If you have a high-efficiency furnace, much of that investment will go to waste if you skimp on efficiency measures in your home. If saving some money this winter sounds good to you, check out these ways to improve your furnace’s efficiency:
As if the cold and snow in the Twin Cities area weren’t enough to deal with, many homeowners wonder how they’ll be managing energy bills when the thermometer drops. Your home heating bill is likely the most money you spend on any of your utilities, and employing these tips can help you reduce costs without sacrificing comfort.
Purchasing a new furnace is a sizable investment that will affect energy expenses and comfort in your Twin Cities home for many years. In order to leverage the greatest return on investment, which is the actual lifetime costs of owning and operating the furnace (not just the initial costs), take the right approach by educating yourself about the two-step replacement process – selection and installation.
