- On August 25, 2025
Choosing a furnace is often a difficult process, especially for new homeowners who have never undergone the process before. Different efficiency ratings, prices, brands – it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin. There are many factors that must be considered throughout the selection process in order to find the perfect furnace for your home, but one of the most crucial is the size.
While it may seem to those who aren’t in the know that furnaces are a one-size-fits-all deal, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Finding the perfect furnace size for your home is a critical step in ensuring your house is always toasty and safe during the months in which your heater is in use.
Why Having the Wrong Size is a Big Deal
First, start with why having the wrong size house heater is something you want to avoid. Say you’re looking to save a bit of cash on your furnace installation, so you go for a model that’s small – too small for the space you’re looking to heat, in fact. This may save you some cash up front, but it comes with a range of other consequences you may not be quite so fond of, including:
- Uneven heating throughout the house
- Higher energy bills
- Shorter furnace life
A furnace that’s too small for your home cannot hope to heat the interior space – but that won’t keep it from trying. Despite the fact that you’re likely to encounter cold, drafty areas in your home, even with the heat running, your furnace will work overtime in an attempt to keep the space warmed according to your thermostat settings.
This means you’ll encounter higher monthly energy bills and that a huge amount of strain is placed on the furnace itself, ultimately resulting in an extremely shortened lifespan.
Likewise, there are issues with purchasing a furnace that’s far too big for your home. Having a bigger furnace doesn’t necessarily blot out all of the problems that come with having a furnace too small or make your heating system more efficient. Some issues you’ll face from buying an overly-large heating system include:
- Loud, noisy operation
- Constant on-off cycling
- Reduced furnace lifespan
Due to the furnace producing more heat than necessary, it can, in fact, heat your small home quickly. However, this leads to the problem of the heater cycling on and off much too often. This process causes an extreme amount of wear and tear on your furnace over time, leading to a shorter overall lifespan, much like the too-small furnace.
Furnaces that are too big typically won’t overheat, but they are prone to short-cycling, meaning that they cut off early before the entire house is heated. This results in parts of your home being swelteringly hot, while other areas may still be cold. It leads to inconsistent heating that’s really no better than having an undersized, cheaper furnace.
Most furnaces are equipped with tools that cause them to shut off before they overheat, so in general, having a furnace that’s too big or small isn’t exactly dangerous – it’s just inconvenient and a drain on your time and resources.
This inconvenience places stress on you, your wallet, and your personal comfort, and generally makes the “heating season” less enjoyable for everyone involved. Fortunately, the problem is completely avoidable when you install the correct furnace size.
Finding the Perfect Fit
Buying an incorrectly-sized furnace will have a detrimental impact on both your wallet and the comfort of your home over time. The best way to avoid these issues is to find a furnace that fits your home perfectly, to begin with.
But how do you find out what size heater your home needs in order for it to operate at optimal efficiency and without causing undue wear on the system itself? While you could take into account the size and shape of your home, along with materials and other details, the most straightforward way to find the ideal furnace for your home is getting in touch with a professional who really knows what they’re doing when it comes to new installations.
The devil is in the details when it comes to fitting your home with crucial heating equipment like a furnace, and while you could, in theory, handle this as a DIY project, it’s much more efficient to leave the guesswork to the pros.
A trained team knows how to measure up the details of size, airflow, and insulation (among other variables) to find the perfect furnace fit for your home, and can get you the ideal heating solution without fail.
Work with the Pros
If you want the perfect fit and a furnace model that’s sure to suit both your home and your budget, contact Howard Air. This reliable HVAC company has been in business for over four decades. It has both the experience and training needed to tackle any problem you have on your hands – including finding an installing the perfect furnace.
Repairing and Replacing the System
During the tune-up process, some minor repairs can be completed at the same time. Other more extensive repairs, such as parts that need to be replaced, need to be scheduled for a later date. In the case of a system that is in poor condition and cannot easily be repaired, a replacement may be advisable. In some cases, a system that is extremely outdated may not be repairable, or the cost to repair it could be more than a new, more efficient system. Your technician can help set you up with a consultation so you can learn more about your ideal replacement and installation options.
Schedule Your Furnace Tune-Up
Regularly scheduled heater maintenance is the key to keeping your furnace running most efficiently. If you are due for a tune-up, contact Howard Air today to set up an appointment for service or to ask any questions you have about your system.
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