Choosing a new television requires you to discuss your needs with the entire family, evaluate your budget, and ultimately find a system with the clarity and definition you prefer. Selecting a new car means carefully reviewing the options, thinking about color preferences and special features, and choosing a style and brand you love that fits your budget. But purchasing a standard home appliance, like a heating system, works a bit differently.
Buying a heating system or an air conditioner is what’s known as a distress purchase. That means it is a purchase typically made out of necessity and often due to an emergency, which means many people don’t take the time to select a system they really love. We think it’s time for that to change.
Why You Should Care about the Heater You Purchase
Many people are happy to select the first heating system a technician recommends, especially if it is the least expensive one. As long as it gets their homes warm again, most homeowners don’t have much of a preference.
However, this means you may end up spending more than you bargained for in the long run. An inefficient heating system or one that is just not the right fit for your home can cost you. Although you may have saved on the initial investment, what you spend over time will not be worth it.
Two Types of Forced-Air Heating
Forced-air heating is a type of heat that allows for air to be heated up before moving into the rooms of your home. While radiant heating may be common in some parts of the country, it’s not the best fit for heating in Aztec, NM, where installing a boiler would come at great cost.
There are two main types of forced-air heating systems to consider.
- Furnace – A furnace generates gas or electric heat to heat up the air.
- Heat Pump – A heat pump is an electric system that uses refrigeration for both air conditioning and heating.
Fuel Type and Efficiency Rating
If you plan to install central heating, a gas furnace is often the go-to. After all, today’s systems are safe and efficient, and natural gas tends to cost less to use than electricity. If you are in the market for a gas furnace, look for one with an efficiency rating or AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) of about 90 or higher.
If you don’t have access to a natural gas line, you have the option of an electric furnace. However, generating heat is an energy-intensive process. Even an electric furnace with 100% AFUE can be expensive to run. That’s why we often recommend a heat pump. A heat pump moves heat from the outdoors in, a process that uses minimal energy. Look for a heat pump with a SEER of 16 or higher for efficient cooling and an HSPF higher than 8.
Sizing
Finally, it’s so important that your heater is the right size for your home. However, this is something we do not recommend any homeowner tries to figure out on their own. With the wrong size, whether it is too small or too large, a heater can run too frequently, wearing down its components and costing more to run. Sizing a furnace or heat pump is a complex process, but it’s part of the professional installation you should schedule as soon as you know you need a new heater.
Pick out your new heating in Aztec, NM with the help of the professional technicians at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.