Have you found just the right furnace for your Twin Cities area home? Bear in mind that your new efficient furnace will only be as efficient as the home system in which it’s installed. Make sure your home is prepared for winter and for your new furnace.
Efficient Home, Efficient Furnace
It makes sense that if your home is sealed up tight and has adequate insulation in key places, your new furnace will perform better and use less fuel. Follow these tips to button up your home and give your new furnace a warm welcome.
- Insulation – Heat energy naturally seeks to move to a cooler location. Quality insulation provides a barrier against heat energy transfer from the warm living spaces to the outdoors or the cold unconditioned spaces within the home shell. Attics in the Twin Cities area should be insulated up to R-60, regardless of the type of insulation you use. Fiberglass rolls are typically simple to install. You may use loose fill in wall cavities for easy application, and insulation rolls or batts for the floor.
- Air sealing – While fiberglass insulation hinders heat transfer, it doesn’t do much to stop airflow. Air sealing is necessary to stop air leaks around doors, windows, piping, wiring and the attic access door.
Caulk, spray foam and weatherstripping are your basic tools. Caulk leaky windows and around piping or other apertures in the home shell. Spray foam is simple to use for larger holes and gaps. Weatherstripping is used around exterior doors, window sashes and the attic hatch. You may consider a draft blocker for the bottom of doors. Spray foam is a convenient tool for attic leaks. Make sure gaps around piping and the chimney or flue are sealed.
For more details to prepare your home for an efficient furnace installation, please contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning Co.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock