Choosing a Furnace
There are many things to consider when replacing a furnace in your home. A few of the key factors to consider are as follows:
- The Product. When you choose a brand, you must consider their history, their warranties, and their ability to stand behind their claims. There are many brands to choose from. Be careful of products that are brand new to the market from companies you’ve never heard of.
- The Company. The installation practices of a company can make or break a product, no matter how good that product might be. There are plenty of stories of products that have failed because of untrained, inexperienced installation practices. Get photos, videos and testimonials from your contractor. Make sure they can stand behind their work.
- The Solution. Do you need ‘top of the line’? Two stage? Variable Speed? What efficiency should you expect? All of these questions must be answered by the estimator or consultant that comes to prepare a proposal for your project. Furnaces are not a one-size-fits-all product. Each installation must be customized to both the home that it’s in and the people that will be using it. Make sure your estimator asks a lot of questions and customizes a solution for you.
- The Timing. Furnaces tend to have an effective life of 15-25 years, depending on a variety of factors. That’s only one aspect of timing, though. Can a furnace be changed in the dead of winter? Most of the time, yes. But that tends to be a bit more difficult and inconvenient than planning for a replacement in early fall. A good company will make sure to have crew availability in September and October to be able to take care of proactive customers needs.
- The Price. Very few people believe that the cheapest is always the best. In fact, usually a really low price serves as a warning sign to many consumers. At the same time, you don’t want to shop around and look for the most expensive company out there. If you follow the guidelines above, you’ll end up with a company and product that is priced competitively, and has a good chance of long term survival which is important for you, the homeowner.
One factor that is rarely considered is the opinion of service technicians. The opinion of a seasoned service technician would bear a lot of weight in the decision making process. Fortunately, there is a website that rates products based on the opinion of service technicians.
My Service Company wants you to feel comfortable with your furnace purchase, even if that means you’re not buying from us. We’re so confident in our people and our products that we will gladly help you make comparisons to other brands available to you. You can book a free in-home, NO PRESSURE estimate, or call 403-327-9349 to speak with us and gather further information.