What Are the Different Types of Furnaces?

Your home is unique, and so are its needs when it comes to heating. Fortunately, you never need to settle for a one size fits all approach to installing a furnace in your home. There are four different types of furnaces available to choose from, ensuring you have the most effective and efficient heating solution for your home at any time. Learning the basics of these furnace types can help you make the most informed, forward-thinking decision when the time comes to replace your old unit with something more up-to-date.

The Role of a Furnace in Your Home

Your home’s furnace is an integral part of its forced-air system. It works to create warm air when the temperatures outside plummet and play a crucial role in cooling air during the warmer months. The furnace uses natural gas, electricity, propane, or oil to bring the air to the appropriate temperature and then pushes it throughout your home using a series of ductwork. The temperature stays steady by adhering to the settings on your thermostat, giving you direct control over your furnace and its operations at all times.

Choosing the right furnace is critical to ensuring efficiency within your home within the coming years, allowing you to make the most of your investment in the long run. The furnace type you use should depend on both your home and your budget. Choosing the right one can seem a bit tricky, which is why it’s advised to work with a team of professionals, like our trained technicians at Howard Air.

1. Gas Furnaces

These furnaces work by piping in gas pulled from the municipal line. Inside your furnace, a series of gas jets located along the burner combusts the natural gas, which creates hot air, which is then pushed through the ducts using your furnace’s blower fan. The process offers an excellent balance of effectiveness and efficiency, making it a definite go-to for many homes in some areas of the United States.

Gas furnaces are among the most commonly used in the United States, and for a good reason. When it comes to overall efficiency, these furnaces are around 33 percent more efficient than other popular options, with a whopping efficiency rating of 98 percent on newer models. This bump to efficiency means saving $30 or more per year on energy expenses for many homes.

These furnaces are incredibly popular in southern states that don’t see severe cold temperatures during the winter months. While natural gas furnaces are the best of the best for efficiency, even the newer models don’t have quite as much power as some other options on the market, making it less ideal for homes in regions that see extremely low winter temperatures.

2. Oil Furnaces

Oil furnaces are excellent options for homes that don’t have access to natural gas. In these models, oil is used to power the furnace’s operations much the same way as gas is used in the gas model’s process. The burner combusts the oil to create hot air, providing warmth throughout your house.

Oil furnaces are a reliable way to keep your home warm in the chillier month. They typically cost around 25 percent less to install than their more popular natural gas counterparts, making them an excellent option for those dealing with a tight budget for furnace replacement. However, their overall energy ratings average around eight percent less than the average natural gas heater, meaning the money you save upfront will likely be spent on your monthly energy bills in the future.

This type of furnace will also require far more maintenance than other options available for modern homes. If you decide that this type of furnace is right for your home, don’t worry. You won’t be facing the strenuous maintenance requirements alone. Howard Air is here with our team of trained, knowledgeable techs to ensure your system keeps running smoothly over the coming years and that you have peace of mind knowing you’ll always have warm air when you need it.

3. Electric Furnaces

For those who do not have access to a natural gas line, electric furnaces are the next go-to option. These models don’t rely on burning fuel to power their operations, instead of using several electric heating elements to create the warm air you feel throughout your home. You might think this means a more efficient, environmentally friendly overall product, but unfortunately, that is not the case.

Because the cost of electricity can vary so much from region to region, the cost of running an electric furnace can be considerable in some parts of the country, far outstripping the monthly operational costs of other furnace types. This is perhaps the least efficient option available for homes due to your monthly electricity bill’s often large sum.

However, electric furnaces are certainly not without their benefits. While they are the most inefficient in the long run, they are also by far the cheapest to purchase and install, sometimes costing less than half of a new natural gas furnace. Along with this decreased cost comes an increased life expectancy. When properly maintained, electric furnaces are expected to last up to 10 years longer than other furnaces. They’re also far smaller than other furnaces, making them the best option for small spaces where placing a furnace might otherwise be challenging.

4. Propane Furnaces

If gas and oil are not accessible, and an electric furnace doesn’t seem like the right fit, propane-powered furnaces are reliable. Propane, a by-product of oil and gas production, can be stored in tanks on your property. Lines leading from the tank to your home allow appliances like your furnace to draw on the propane’s power to accomplish the same task as natural gas, oil, or electricity.

It’s estimated that around 9.4 million homes in the US use propane to fuel their furnaces throughout the year, making it one of the more popular approaches to heating a home. Because installation involves indoor and outdoor factors, you may want to speak with a team of professionals about installation to get a better idea of the overhead cost and what sort of propane refill payments you can expect over the coming years.

Need Help Choosing the Right Furnace? Contact Howard Air Today!

Every furnace has its pros and cons, and the professionals at Howard Air are here to help you sort through them to find the ideal furnace for your home. Contact us today to learn more about how we can upgrade your current furnace to something more effective and efficient and keep that new system running smoothly in the years to come with a bit of regular maintenance and decades of experience in our field.

Featured Image: Shutterstock / Aleksandr Ivasenko