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Furnace Problems - Home Renovation Tips

By: Lifschitz

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Depending on the age of your furnace, as much as 60 per cent of your home’s total energy costs could be gobbled up heating your home. The savings in a new high-efficiency condensing gas furnace may be the best investment you can make.

According to Natural Resources Canada, the technology for high-efficiency furnaces has been available for many years and is well proven. Indeed, half of all furnaces sold in Canada are high-efficiency condensing gas furnaces. They are fast becoming standard equipment in new homes.

Upgrading from an old furnace to a high-efficiency gas furnace not only increases the resale value of an existing home, but can also reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by the use of fossil fuels. Choosing an energy-efficient condensing gas furnace is one way to meet that challenge.

Here are some tips to make sure your new furnace is energy efficient:

Consult a professional

Start by consulting a heating professional to determine your needs and budget. A qualified professional can calculate your heating needs to give you a basis for comparative shopping. Take into account recent technology developments, the heat loss and heat gain characteristics of your house, and other factors when making your furnace purchase. A professional can help.

Energy rating

Check the AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) before your buy; the higher the number, the more efficient the furnace. For example, a mid-range efficiency furnace would have an AFUE rating between 78 and 82 while a high-efficiency model would fall into the 88 to 97 per cent range.
If your home has a large heating load, a high-efficiency model might be your best choice. Although more expensive to buy, it should pay off in energy savings over the life of the furnace. Mid-efficiency models may cost less, but can cost more to vent. Keep this in mind when comparison shopping. Your heating professional can give you the best advice, based on your home’s design.

Programmable thermostat

Programmable thermostats will help you get the most savings from your heating system. It tailors the heating output to your lifestyle, automatically raising and lower the temperature of the house to your household’s schedule.
Look for a model that offers at least two temperature setback and reset periods a day – more if you have a complicated schedule.
The model you choose should be easy to program with a quick cancellation feature to accommodate changes.
Set it for your comfort level. If 20 degrees C is comfortable when you’re awake, why not set the temperature to 17 degrees C when you’re asleep or out?

Need more information?

Visit the Natural Resources Web site.
To see how much you can save If your home is using one heating source (electricity, natural gas, propane or oil), try out the Home Heating System Cost Calculator. It lets you compare the costs of your current home heating system with the savings offered by newer equipment and other sources of energy.
Finally, before you change your system, investigate the details of the ecoEnergy Retrofit Homes grant offered by the government – it could save you up to $5,000.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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