3 Factors Involved in Sizing Your Furnace

Question: How large should your furnace be?

Answer: You can never have one too large!

However, that answer is wrong, although we understand why someone might make this mistake. An undersized furnace will obviously have the problem of struggling to provide sufficient heat, but an oversized furnace has its own problem: constantly shutting on and off before completing its heating cycle (short-cycling). This results in a furnace draining energy and rapidly wearing down.

When you schedule furnace installation in Holly Springs, NC, let the professional installers size your furnace so you get the right one. You can trust us and our many years of experience with home heating to help you get the perfect furnace for you. Call Ideal Services Heating & Cooling today (919) 887-9680  to get your furnace installed correctly the first time.

Factors in Furnace Sizing

Finding out the right size for a furnace requires a heat load calculation, which collates many factors about your home to determine how much heat (the “load”) is needed to reach a comfortable temperature. The size of your home is a major factor, but here are three you might not have thought about:

1. Number of appliances: Consider how many appliances in your home also generate heat. The lighting alone is a significant contributor. Then there is the stove, the oven, the refrigerator, the dishwasher, the laundry, the home entertainment system, computers… etc. The amount of heat these give off is important for an installer to know so that the furnace won’t raise the temperature so rapidly that it shuts off early.
2. Number of people in your home: Take the average number of people who live in your home. Now, factor in that these people both absorb and radiate heat. This is a significant source and drain of heating, and understanding how it affects heating your home is important for the comfort of every single one of the residents.
3. Number, size, and placement of windows: Windows are a place in your home where heat has an easy escape path, as well as an easy entryway. A large number of windows, especially large ones, will contribute to a loss of heat. (Storm windows will lessen this.) But if the windows are placed where they receive a large amount of direct sunlight, they will put radiant heat into the house. Figuring out how the windows contribute to your home’s temperature will help determine the size of your furnace.

This sounds complicated, doesn’t it? That’s why it requires a full heat load calculation and a technician able to perform it so the final result comes out correct. Make sure you have installers involved early in the installation process so they can determine the heat load of your house and select a furnace to match.

Ideal Services Heating & Cooling is ready to help with your furnace installation and other heating system needs in Holly Springs, NC. Give us a call to set up an appointment to begin the process of picking the heater that will give you years of great warmth.