Before Replacing your furnace…
1. Bigger is Not Better
A unit too large for your home can lead to the following problems.
- Dramatic High and Low Temperature swings.
- Hot Air moving in short, strong bursts can feel like a warm front blowing through your room.
- Leads to a shorter life of your furnace, and parts may break or crack leading to additional problems such as carbon monoxide leakage.
- Waste of energy, and it will show up on your utility bills.
2. A New Furnace Will Not Automatically Solve Your Problems
- Your Ductwork may need to be sealed or insulated, or you may have connectivity issues.
- Your Attic insulation levels may not be adequate. The biggest air leakage occurs in the attic through electrical and plumbing penetrations, light fixtures, gaps in corners, and recessed lighting.
3. Heat Pumps Really Do Work
- Just like a furnace and AC, – it heats and cools your home.
- Summer: It pulls heat and humidity from inside your home to the outside. Winter: It pulls heat from the outside air into your home.
- Heat Pumps require a backup furnace to heat when the temperature drops below 20 Degrees.
4. Humidifiers Aren’t Always the Answer
- Adding a Humidifier to your furnace to solve dry air problems is a band-aid.
- The home is not airtight, letting cold dry air into the home.
- A whole-home survey by an Anthony PHC Comfort Advisor will help indicate any leaking air.
5. Electric Furnaces are Not a Better Deal
- Contractors – may recommend an electric furnace because installing a new flu to meet code will take extra work.
- Downside is your utility bill. Electric furnaces will cost 1 to 2 times the money to operate because the cost of electricity is much higher than natural gas.
- Gas furnaces can maintain a higher comfort level and heat your home much faster than an electric furnace.
- Natural Gas is a cleaner fuel than coal powered electricity with lower level emissions.
6. Warranties
- In order for you manufacturers warranty on your new furnace to stay valid, annual maintenance is required.
- An Easy Way to maintain annual maintenance is with the Anthony Service Agreement Program (A.S.A.P.) which comes standard with your Anthony PHC furnace installation.
7. Don’t Replace it with a Replica
- Do Not replace with exact same model. Dated units, even if it is brand new, might not meet new efficiency standards or code.
- Replacing the unit with a new high efficiency model will save you money over the long run and allow you to enjoy better comfort and lower utility bills now.
8. Ask for Load Calculations
- Undersized units – Cannot keep up with the comfort needs of the home.
- Oversized Units – Create bigger problems: Short Cycling, dehumidification, shorten life cycle.
- The Correct Size – is based on square footage of your living space, but each home has unique factors such as insulation levels, number of windows and doors, how many people live there.
Whether you live in Lenexa or Liberty or somewhere in between, understanding as much as you can about replacing your furnace before you buy will help prevent any type of buyers remorse in the long run.