Forced Air Furnaces for Residential Buildings

 

When it comes to heating your home, there are a lot of options. Some houses rely on radiant heating like hot water or steam, while others use an external air source, like a heat pump. While these are fine options for providing heat to your house, you should also consider the benefits of a forced-air furnace.

Whereas radiant heat relies on hot water or steam flowing from a boiler to radiators to transport heat, a forced-air furnace uses a fan to blow hot air through ducts hidden in the walls and ceilings of your office, distributing heat evenly throughout your building. And heat pumps are less efficient than forced-air furnaces, especially when the temperature gets below 20 degrees.

These types of forced air furnaces are an efficient, cost-effective way to heat your home. Here’s a little bit more about why you should consider a furnace to meet your heating needs.

 

How Do They Work?

 

home forced air furnace

 

The air is heated either by passing through a gas-powered heat exchange or, in the case of an electric one, over high-resistance heating coils. This hot air is then blown into air ducts by a blower fan, where it’s distributed throughout your building.

The hot air exits the ducts through registers, which can be adjusted for direction and airflow based on comfort preferences. Finally, to keep the air circulating in your home, cooler air is pulled back into the system through return air ducts, where it starts the process again.

Controlling a forced-air furnace is quite simple. You set a target temperature, turn on your system, and it will automatically run until it meets that desired temperature. And modern programmable thermostats allow you the option to have more control than ever, including wireless connectivity, so you can control the heat in your building whether you’re onsite or not.

 

What Are the Benefits?

 

There are several benefits, including:

 Quick, ready heat

Unlike other heating systems, which can take a long time to provide heat, a forced hot air furnace produces heat almost immediately. Because the furnace heats the air directly instead of relying on radiant heat, warm air begins flowing through your vents from the moment you turn on the system.

Energy Efficiency Energy efficient icon for forced air furnace

Our forced hot air furnaces take advantage of the most up-to-date technology available, with efficiency ratings ranging from 80 to almost 97 percent. This means you’ll get more heat from a smaller amount of energy, whether you choose a gas-powered system or an electric furnace system.

There are other ways our furnaces save you money. We offer two-stage furnaces, so you don’t have to run your heating system at full power on spring or autumn days when all you need is to take the edge off the cool air. We also have variable-speed comfort-R™ furnaces, which give you even more control—and when used in conjunction with a high-efficiency air cleaner, can drastically improve your indoor air quality.

Ease of Installation

If your building already has ductwork installed for a central air system, then installing the furnace is no problem. It uses the same ducts as your air conditioner, meaning we’ll typically only have to run a short connector to the furnace once it’s installed.

Even if you don’t have existing ductwork, it’s far less expensive (and disruptive) than installing water or steam pipes, which usually requires ripping up floors and walls. And unlike radiant heating pipes, ducts are designed to carry air, so they’re much cheaper than water or steam pipes, and there’s no risk of a catastrophic leak.

Cost green cost savings banner for forced air furnaces

The energy efficiency makes it an ideal solution for heating an entire office building. Our customizable options mean you can tailor your system to your needs, keeping your energy costs in mind. And because installing a forced hot air furnace in your building is cheaper than other options, you’ll wind up saving even more money.

Reliability

Because gas and electric furnaces heat the air directly, there are fewer parts that can go bad, making forced air furnaces an extremely reliable option. Plus, all of our furnaces are from well-respected national brands known for quality.

You also won’t have to worry about the ducts. Because they’re only designed to carry air throughout your building, they don’t have the complicated working parts you’d find in a steam or hot water pipe. Even if you discover dings or dents in your air ducts, repairs are easy and inexpensive.

 

Maintaining Your Furnace

 

Keeping your furnace running at peak efficiency is easy. First and foremost, you’ll need to check your air filters every month. When your filters get clogged, it can reduce airflow, which means your system works harder and is less efficient. By replacing filters regularly, you’ll prolong the life of your furnace and improve air quality.

 

 

Man performing maintenance on forced air furnace

 

You should also set up a regular maintenance schedule with our HVAC technicians, where we can perform preventative maintenance to keep any small problems from becoming big ones. We run through a multi-point checklist, covering your system from top to bottom. We’ll make whatever adjustments your system needs to keep delivering you constantly, reliable heat.

 

Selecting Your Forced Hot Air Furnace

 

Choosing a forced hot air furnace isn’t just an option—it’s a good idea. With this type of furnace, you’ll get efficient heat with minimal stress. Our team of HVAC professionals at Mechanical Air has been installing furnaces for over 20 years, so you can rest assured that your heating system is in the hands of experts.

As a local company, we’re committed to serving our community with honesty and integrity. We promise to provide you top-quality workmanship with all-star customer service. Contact us today at Mechanical Air, and we’ll help you get started installing your heating system!