Home Heating: Become an Informed Buyer

A new heating system for your home or business is a complicated decision. The choice you make is a sizable investment that needs to last you 10-20 years. On top of that there are additional costs for fuel and maintenance, along with a number of environmental concerns. It's one of those decisions that you have to make right the first time. Surprisingly, most people know little of the choosing process before purchase.
The average homeowner calls their local HVAC company, listens to a couple of suggestions, and chooses the furnace or boiler that seems to fit their budget. This makes the choice simpler, but, since many HVAC professionals are licensed resellers for one or two companies or source directly from a single reseller, they rarely bother with discussing the other options available.

So, how can you be a smarter shopper? What is the best furnace or boiler for your situation? Obviously you would want to research, but where to start?

There are 7 factors that guide you to the smartest purchase of a heating system:

1. Heat Load
   The amount of heat your furnace or boiler needs to provide for your home to maintain a constant, comfortable temperature.
2. Efficiency
   The best performance from the least fuel consumption.
3. Ease of Use
   It sounds rather self-explanatory, but then again it all depends on what you are comfortable with.
4. Legal Regulations
   There may be specific rules and regulations that must be met in your state, and even your local county or town.
5. Build Quality & Warranty
   The guaranty and durability of your furnace or boiler, as well as your protection, in case of malfunction.
6. Cost
   The initial purchase as well as fuel and maintenance costs.
7. Environmental Concerns
   Knowing the environmental impact.
   

Having good information on all these factors will let you make an informed decision. We'll examine and discuss each of these factors in more detail in the next posts.