The Ratings Game
This article will look at a few things that you need to understand before making a decision.
The first thing to understand is that you need to look closely at the size of your house or apartment, because obviously the larger the house the bigger the furnace will need to be.
You will need a furnace that has a very high AFUE rating, because this will show the heat output of the furnace and the size of the house that it can heat.
This is the most important step before you go further.
The next thing to look at is whether you need the furnace to heat the hot water system as well a supply general heating.
If you want to heat hot water you obviously need to have a more powerful furnace and one which you will use just for general everyday heating.
A good HVAC contractor will usually be able to tell you exactly what you will need to choose in order to do this.
Finally you need to look at the cost, but not only the cost of the furnace itself but also the running costs.
It is always a mistake to try to buy something that is cheap in this department, because a cheap furnace may end up costing you more money in maintenance of the years that you will actually save on the purchase.
Keep these points in mind when you are looking at furnace ratings and you will not go far wrong when you come to make a purchase.