In today's market place, homeowners have a wide selection of furnace systems to choose from. Manufacturers offer multiple furnace systems that can potentially work in your home!

Gas furnace systems come in a wide range of efficiencies and comfort levels. Your furnace system should be designed based on how you and your family live within your home.

Calculating the Furnace Size Your Home Needs

This is an extremely important step when selecting a new furnace system. Furnace systems need to be sized based on your home's physical characteristics (i.e. insulation value, type of windows, volume of air, number of people, etc.) and the indoor temperature your family is comfortable with (not everyone is comfortable at the same temperature).

The industry approved method of sizing a residential furnace (or any air conditioning system) is the ACCA Manual J procedure. This procedure ensures the correct size furnace is installed within your home based on your home's characteristics and the climate where you live.

If the wrong size furnace system is installed you can cause problems with temperature swings, more breakdowns, increased utility costs, increased installation costs and much more! It is the responsibility and the LAW for HVAC contractors to ensure the proper size heating and air conditioning equipment is installed in homes!

Styles of Gas Furnace Systems (Natural or Propane Furnaces)

Most manufacturers offer multiple styles of gas furnace systems. These systems vary in energy efficiency (AFUE ratings) and comfort levels. Furnaces are sized based on worst case scenarios (in Montgomery County this usual means ZERO degrees outside).

If we look at Indiana's normal winter temperature pattern, you'll see there is only a small percentage of the winter time when the outdoor temperature is actually Zero degrees. This means the majority of the winter time your furnace system actually provides more heat then your home requires. As technology advanced, manufacturers were able to design furnace systems capable of producing the exact amount of heat required by your home. These type of furnace systems are called "Multi-Stage" systems. Multi-Stage systems are usually the highest efficiency and most comfortable type of furnace systems manufacturer's make!

Variable-Air-Flow Systems - the Key to Comfort

Variable-Air-Flow (VAF) systems are also known as "Variable Speed" or "ECM Motor" systems. This type of gas or electric furnace system uses a ramping blower system to gradually increase the volume of air delivered throughout your home. These VAF systems provide several advantages to your home when compared to a standard furnace blower system:

Use substantially less electricity to operate
Increases the efficiency of your air conditioner or heat pump system
Improves the air filter performance (moves air slower across the filter)
Extremely Quiet!
Better control of humidity levels (summer time dehumidification)
Better circulation or air (reducing the hot and cold spots)
Improves the performance of a humidifier system