The furnace is such an important part of your home's ability to provide warmth during the colder months. If you're having to replace your current furnace, these tips can help you choose an investment that works out for many years to come.

Find a Good Size

Furnaces range in size. A good rule of thumb to remember is the bigger the furnace, the more space it's designed to heat. Thus, you want to find an optimal size so that you get enough heat and don't have to deal with excessive heating costs each month.

What you can do is find out exactly how big your home is on the inside. You may have blueprints of your home or you can have a contractor come out and measure. Once you know the interior dimensions, you'll have an easier time finding a furnace size that's compatible with them.

Review the AFUE Rating

The energy-efficiency of your furnace is something you want to spend time analyzing. You probably don't want to spend a fortune on heating costs, after all. For this reason, you'll want to review the furnace's AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating. 

This rating is different for different brands and models. Basically, the higher this rating is, the more energy-efficient the furnace is. You thus will want to look for a high AFUE rating even if that means paying more initially. After a couple of months, you'll probably have already made up these extra costs.

Select a Fuel Source

There are quite a few different ways that a furnace can be powered today. Some of the more common include gas, oil, and electricity.

Gas tends to be one of the most popular choices because it's so easy to find today. You never really have to worry about it going out of stock. Oil furnaces aren't as common, but they're pretty energy-efficient. Then you have electric furnaces, which are one of the less expensive options, both for the furnace itself and to install. Look these options over and see what fuel source you're most comfortable with.

Getting a new furnace can be a little intimidating because of how much these units cost. Fortunately, there are plenty of guides that can help you figure out what to look for. Take your time and try finding a furnace that you know is primed to work well with your property.  To learn more about furnace installation, contact a company like Bowen Refrigeration.