If your furnace is old, or you’re simply looking to save more on household energy costs, you may be thinking about buying a new furnace. Toronto home owners just like you can find the process difficult, wondering what type of furnace is the right fit for their home, how efficient their new furnace should be, and what kind of impact the investment in a furnace might make on their pocketbooks. That being said, we’ve put together a list of important topics to consider before you buy a furnace to make the process a little easier!

1. What Will the Fuel Source Be?
   Most furnaces in Toronto run on natural gas, electricity, oil or propane. Each fuel type has varying costs, levels of efficiency and cleanliness. If your home currently runs on an oil furnace or uses electric heating, you may be interested in upgrading to natural gas. Keep in mind that this upgrade will add substantial extra costs to your furnace replacement budget.
2. How Efficient Would You Like Your Furnace to Be?
   In general, you should buy the most efficient furnace that you can afford. The efficiency of a furnace is a measurement of how much energy put into that furnace is converted into actual heating power for your home. This is the AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency). Most furnaces much achieve 80% AFUE in order to meet the lowest standards, while on the opposite end of the spectrum, super high efficiency furnaces can reach up to 97% efficiency, greatly lowering your monthly utility bills.
3. What Size Furnace Do You Require?
   The key to overall home comfort is to choose the right sized heating system. When you buy a furnace in Toronto, ensure that your heating expert performs a manual load calculation to determine the size of system your home requires. This calculation takes your whole home into account, from the efficiency of your windows to your total square footage. Without a correctly sized furnace, your home will never be heated properly, your furnace could end up running all the time, or even wear out much sooner than expected.

4. Should You Have a Zoned Heating System?
   You might have noticed that different parts of your home get warmer or colder depending on how they are positioned and constructed. If your central thermostat is located near one of these abnormal temperature areas, you could experience hot and cold areas within your home, or might even be using excess energy to keep your home at the desired temperature. By using a zoning system, you can solve the issue of inconsistent temperature by controlling each “zone” with a separate thermostat. A furnace expert can help set up these zones and install the equipment necessary to keep your home’s temperature even.
5. Are You Looking to Improve Indoor Air Quality?
   In addition to your brand new furnace, you may be interested in other indoor air quality systems that can generate cleaner air within your home. Ask an HVAC contractor about the air quality options like humidifiers, dehumidifiers and air purifiers that are available to you so you can bring cleaner, healthier air into your home for your family.
6. Are There Any Rebates or Incentives?
   If you buy a furnace in Toronto, you may qualify for additional rebates or incentives beyond the energy savings you’ll experience on your monthly bill. Before you purchase a high-efficiency furnace, perform research to determine if any local rebates exist to put money back in your pocket. Also ask your preferred HVAC contractors if they are running any promotions you can take advantage of.

If you’re looking to buy a furnace in Toronto, consult with the professionals at Evam Canada first! Our experts can work with you to answer all of the questions above and determine which furnace will keep your home the most comfortable and energy efficient. Contact us today to learn more!