What’s the Right Heating System for Your Home?

If you have an older furnace or heat pump, one that’s nearing the end of its service life, it’s not too early to start investigating new heating system options. A home heating system is a huge investment, and the more prepared you are in advance, the better your chances of selecting a system that will provide long-term comfort and energy efficiency. Following are a few tips for choosing a new home heating system:

Hire the Right Contractor

First of all, work with an HVAC contractor whom you trust. There’s no replacement for experience and know-how when deciding on a new heating or cooling system.

Early Decisions

An early decision will be whether to invest in a combustion furnace or electric heat pump (other choices are available, but those are the most popular). This decision likely will be influenced by what type of system you already have. Installing a gas furnace in a home that doesn’t have the vents and gas lines for such a system can be expensive.

Climate

Climate might be a consideration, too. Someone who lives in a Southern climate with mild winters may prefer an electric heat pump that supplies both heating and cooling. In northeast Ohio, however, a heat pump likely will need supplemental heating.

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is another important factor. In general, it makes sense to invest in the highest-efficiency equipment that you can afford for either heating or cooling. While the purchase price will be higher, long-term savings on energy bills will be significant. The exception to this rule involves, yet again, climate. If you live in a Southern climate with milder winters, there’s no need to choose an expensive ultra high-efficiency heating system. Energy savings will be meager, and may not ever compensate for the higher purchase price.

Advanced Features

When choosing a new heating system, you’ll likely be asked to consider advanced features, either for better energy efficiency, humidity control or air purification. Discuss these options with your HVAC contractor to see whether the benefits are worth the cost.

If you’d like to discuss heating system options for your Lorain area home, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heating systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959. 

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