Choosing a new heating system for your Longview, Texas, home doesn’t have to be a hassle. By assessing your needs, preferences, available options and budget, a professional HVAC contractor can help you choose the most appropriate system. You may discover you want to install a heat pump to provide both heating and cooling to your home. The size of your home, the system’s Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating and your fuel source will significantly impact which HVAC unit to buy. Read on to learn about the seven ways to choose a new heating system.

Type of Furnace

You have several furnace options to choose from, depending on your available fuel sources. Take for example if you have a gas line available as a fuel source. This broadens your options when shopping for furnaces. If you don’t want a gas furnace or don’t have a gas line, you can opt for a built-in electric unit, a floor or wall furnace, a boiler or even a heat pump. Heating a home with gas tends to be less expensive than heating with an oil or electric forced-air furnace. In fact, heating with gas is usually 30 to 50 percent cheaper when compared to heating with oil.

Size of Home

Always have a professional HVAC service technician calculate how large or small of a furnace you’ll need when installing a new heating system. If it’s too large or small, this means it can’t heat your house properly. Although a furnace that’s too large may heat your home fine, it’ll generate heat that you don’t need, which leads to wasting fuel. As a result, you’ll spend more than needed to heat your home.

Look at the AFUE Rating

Furnaces with a high AFUE rating operate more efficiently than furnaces with a lower rating. AFUE stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency. Furnaces with an efficiency rating of 90 percent or higher usually cost quite a bit more than regular furnaces, which tend to have a rating of about 80 percent. However, having a furnace with higher AFUE rating will result lower heating costs.

Two-Stage Valves

To help ensure the furnace lasts for as long as possible, make sure it features two-stage valves. These valves control the flow of the fuel, allowing it to run on high when it first kicks on and reducing fuel supply as it runs on low to maintain your desired temperature. It should also have sealed combustion to help keep your family safe from carbon monoxide poisoning. Sealed combustion also increases a furnace’s energy efficiency.

Consider a Heat Pump

When upgrading your HVAC system, you don’t have to buy a separate furnace and air conditioner. If you prefer, you can have a heat pump installed. This type of HVAC unit can operate as a heater and air conditioner.

Inside the heat pump, it has a reverse valve that controls the direction of the refrigerant flow. A simple press of a button easily allows you to switch from heating to air conditioning mode. In older homes that lack ductwork, a heat pump is an excellent option.

Inspect Ductwork

If your home has ductwork, an HVAC service technician should inspect it to ensure it’s not damaged. You can upgrade your HVAC system to one of the most efficient models on the market, but if your ductwork has holes and tears in it, a lot of air will escape. This puts unnecessary wear and tear on the furnace and leads to energy waste. An HVAC service technician can inspect and repair any damage to the ductwork.

Check for Warranty

Lastly, check for a warranty before you buy a furnace. A new heating system is a large purchase. Therefore, you want to make sure you have a warranty in place for the first five to 10 years after installation. To truly help the system last for as long as possible, make sure to invest in regular furnace maintenance.

Contact JD’s A/C at (903) 336-6041 to learn more tips for choosing a new heating system. You can also schedule a consultation with one of our service technicians to help you decide which system is best for your home.

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