When your Yucaipa, CA home needs a new heating system, it isn’t a decision to take lightly. You’ll have numerous options at multiple price points. Your choice will affect your energy costs and comfort for years. To help you make an informed decision, here’s a guide to purchasing a new furnace. By the end, you’ll know how to weigh your options to select the perfect heater for your home.
Understanding Furnace Efficiency
Energy efficiency is one of the biggest differentiators between furnaces. You’ll find an efficiency score on every new furnace called an AFUE rating. AFUE stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency. It’s the result of a standardized formula that determines what percent of its fuel a furnace converts to usable heat.
An AFUE rating begins with the assumption that the average home needs 100 million BTUs of heat per heating season. That’s converted into an equivalent quantity of natural gas, which equals 10 therms. Then, manufacturers test each furnace model to measure how many BTUs it produces from 10 therms of natural gas. Dividing the measured output by 100 million and multiplying the result by 100 will yield an AFUE score. An AFUE score equals the percent of fuel the unit converts to heat. The rest gets wasted through exhaust losses.
Manufacturers can’t sell furnaces with an AFUE lower than 80 in the US. So, when you go furnace shopping, 80 AFUE furnaces are at the low end of the efficiency scale. They’ll also be the cheapest options. Mid-efficiency furnaces will have AFUE ratings between 83 and 85. High-efficiency models feature AFUE ratings between 90 and 98. You won’t find many furnaces with AFUE ratings between 86 and 89. The extra engineering it takes to surpass the 85% efficiency plateau often pushes such furnaces to 90% efficiency or higher.
Understanding Furnace Costs
Generally speaking, you’ll find about three pricing levels for the furnaces on the market today. However, they don’t precisely correspond with the three efficiency groupings discussed above. On average, furnaces with AFUE ratings between 80 and 89 will cost between $500 and $1500. High-efficiency furnaces with AFUE ratings between 90 and 95 cost between $1,000 and $3,000. Furnaces with AFUE ratings of 96 and higher are the most efficient models available and cost between $2,000 and $6,000.
Before you decide on a new furnace, looking at your existing furnace first can be helpful. If you can determine its AFUE rating, compare it to your energy bills to create a cost baseline. Then, you can see how much money in energy costs your new furnace would likely save you each month. That will let you know how long it might take to recoup the added costs of a high-efficiency furnace. You may find that a lower-efficiency furnace makes more sense for you financially.
Understanding Furnace Installation
The other part of purchasing a new furnace you’ll need to consider is the installation process and its costs. Those costs would be on top of the cost of the furnace itself. On average, a new furnace installation may cost between $1,500 and $5,000, depending on a few factors. The cheapest installation would be replacing a furnace with a similar model. That would mean the fewest necessary modifications and a shorter installation time.
However, installation costs will rise if you upgrade to a high-efficiency furnace. High-efficiency furnaces require different exhaust piping from conventional furnaces. They also need an air intake run to the outside of your home. That raises material costs and labor costs. It may also be necessary to alter your home’s ductwork to support a new furnace, further adding to your expenses.
Your Local Furnace Installation Team
No matter what kind of furnace you’re considering in Yucaipa, Of Course! Heating and Cooling is the place to turn. We sell and install furnaces from today’s leading manufacturers. With over 30 years of industry experience on staff, we’re the expert on heating services and a local leader in the HVAC industry.
We also offer HVAC repair, maintenance, duct cleaning, and electrical services. We can even provide financing options on approved credit if you need help to afford a new heating system. You can also check out our long list of five-star customer reviews to get a sense of what it’s like to work with us. So, if you need a new furnace installed in your Yucaipa home, call Of Course! Heating and Cooling immediately!
Today!
