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Peachtree City, GA
You are most likely wondering what the best furnace is to buy and who in Peachtree City sells them. This somewhat long article is our attempt to help you answer that question. There are many different varieties of furnace brands and professionals out there to install them. We hope to be the HVAC company that you pick to buy and install your new furnace from in your Peachtree City home or business.
Why Are You Looking To Buy a New Furnace?
Almost everybody starts looking for a new furnace because their current furnace is no longer working and can’t or isn’t worth being repaired or their current furnace isn’t working very well because it is just old and inefficient.
The great thing about using A-OK Heating & Cooling is that we can help you determine if repair or replacement is the best option for you.
Another common reason to replace a furnace is due to high energy bills during the colder winter months in Peachtree City. With advancing technology, today’s furnaces continue to improve in both capability and energy efficiency. The dilemma that many people face is the upfront investment in a newer and more efficient furnace. What really bridges the gap for people when comparing a cheaper furnace vs a more expensive energy efficient furnace is the promised savings in the years ahead.
Energy Usage in U.S. Homes
The US Department of Energy continues to conduct studies and gather and publish energy consumption related information to help manufacturers, government agencies, and consumers like you.
Did you know that heating and cooling takes up around 48% of the total energy used in a normal home in the United States? This high number means that a home’s heating and cooling system is likely the biggest energy consumer in your home, which also means that by reducing it the monthly bill will reduce.
We are sharing these tips because a lot of positive difference can come with the simplest of things. Even if you are positive that you want to buy a new furnace you should read these tips and see if they will help your home.
Make Sure You Regularly Change Your Air Filter
The air filter on your HVAC system is crucial. It helps your home’s air be clean and when it gets too full it doesn’t work properly. But even more happens when an air filter is too full. Your HVAC system will have to work harder and harder to suck air from your home and run it through your heating/cooling system. Our maintenance programs can help change your air filter and ensure that your system gets the longest life possible.
Sign Up For a Tune Up/Maintenance Program
Just like a car, an HVAC system tune up is needed. Machines need maintenance in order for them to keep running properly. A-OK Heating & Cooling offers a maintenance program. You can call and talk to us about this today.
Get a Programmable Thermostat
Is your air on when you are not at home? Sometimes we are at home and sometimes we are out of the house. Is there any reason to heat or cool your home to the ideal temperature when nobody is there? Programmable thermostats can switch your HVAC system on or off at certain times. They can even lower the set temperature at night or at other desirable times.
A programmable thermostat used correctly can save a home owner hundreds of dollars when compared to a non-programmable thermostat.
Are Your Air Ducts Leaking?
You don’t want to lose air to leaking air ducts. Sometimes air ducts can come apart or have holes in them. If you can access your air ducts it can be fairly easy to test this. If you can’t, we can help determine the current condition of your air ducts. Finally, don’t heat or cool your attic or crawl space, though you do need proper ventilation to protect from things like mold, mildew, wood rot and proper ventilation also keeps your home cooler and warmer.
How Bad is An Old Furnace?
To determine how ineffective your furnace is you first need to know what year your furnace is. For example, if your furnace is older than 20 years old, then it is most likely not doing the best job for you. In fact, the DOE has worked hard to reduce the wasteful use of energy by created high standards for HVAC system manufacturers. These standards begun in 1992. This change made it so furnaces were required to be at least 78% efficient.
What does that mean? It means that furnaces were required to produce 78% heat from the fuel that was used. Recently these standards were increased to an 80% standard. Is 80% efficiency the best rated furnace’s performance? No. In fact, there are some furnaces with up to 98% efficiency.
You Can Stop Wasting 30% of Your Money
What if you could reduce your bill by 30% every month. If you are using a pre-1992 furnace, then this could very well be a possibility for you.
How Old is Your Furnace?
Not everyone automatically knows how old their furnace is. An easy way to find out is to locate your furnace and look for any dates that might be located on the unit itself. After you record your findings you should also look for the brand name and model number. With those you can either call us and talk with a professional (ahem. us.) about your current furnace or you can use the internet to find additional info about your home’s furnace.
Another thing that is a sign of an old gas or oil burning furnace is a standing pilot light instead of having the more modern electronic ignition.
What is a standing pilot light?
A standing pilot light is a flame that is always lit or should always be lit. It doesn’t have an electrical system and if it goes out it must be manually re-lit. About.com created a fantastic tutorial about standing pilot lights, how they work, and what they are. Here is their article on standing pilot lights.
Try to get a fix on how old your furnace is. Open the cabinet and look for dates. Write down the model number and try searching it on the Internet. If you can’t find the approximate date of manufacture, you’ve probably answered the question with a resounding “time to replace.”
If your furnace has a standing pilot light instead of electronic ignition, consider this to be another sign that it is an energy waster.
Most people pick from the most common furnace brands on the market. Some of these furnace manufacturers and brands are Lennox, Trane and Carrier. Call us today to about properly sizing your furnace for your home.
*A-OK Heating & Cooling installs all furnaces with NATE certified technicians who work with all types, brands, and models of furnaces.
The main purpose of a furnace is to transform one form of energy into heat that can be spread throughout a home or commercial space. The more heat that can be transformed from one form of energy the better and this is what efficiency is all about. With the push from society, government agencies, and consumers alike, the major manufacturers keep trying to produce the most efficient furnaces possible. The less energy they can use and the more heat they can produce the better. An energy efficient furnace is created from the furnaces blower all the way to the delivery of the heat source.
Ratings
What does the rating system for furnaces look like or what is it called? AFUE is the abbreviation for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. In fact, any newer furnace will have a sticker on them that contains its rating. The sticker looks similar to the one to the right. This is required by the Federal Trade Commission.
*Here is a page on the Energy Star website about furnace labels.
A big improvement from old furnaces and new energy saving furnaces is with the combustion system. The combustion system deals with the mixing of fuel and air. New furnaces make sure that this is closely controlled using a welled oiled and tested “sealed combustion”. The goal is to use the most optimal mixture, blowing, and so forth to produce heat.
Expect Gas Valves & Motors in Two Stages
Another huge improvement with high efficient furnaces is the gas valves. New highly efficient gas furnaces will utilize a two-stage gas valve that works quickly and then pulls back to a better output that uses less energy.
Another part of a furnace that can use a lot of energy is the blower. That is why blowers have been a huge focus for energy efficiency improvement. One of the things that has been improved is a decrease in the electricity needed to activate and run the blower. A programmable thermostat plays an important role in this.
Pilot Light Improvements
Remember when we talked about the standing pilot light above? No longer will you see standing pilot lights in new furnaces because they are a waste of gas. Now electric pilot lights are used which means there is no longer a continuous pilot light running all the time.
Using Exhaust Gases
One way that furnaces increase their AFUE is to use the exhaust gases through a 2nd heat exchanger. This is kind of like recycling or reusing what has already been done. In the past these gases would simply be discarded and not used but they have value in heating a home and being more energy efficient.
* Remember to look for a good warranty on this heat exchanger because it does go through a lot of wear and tear and if it breaks early you want to be covered.
It depends on what you want, can afford, and need. We are really good and experienced at knowing the ins and outs of the newest and greatest furnaces. We have been in business since 1972 and have gained the trust of thousands of customers.
We would love to consult with you to help you get the right furnace for you home or commercial building. Not only to we sell furnaces but we also install and repair them. Thanks for reading through this article and we can’t wait to hear from you.