Not everyone needs or wants any add ons when purchasing a new furnace. The basic cost of a furnace installation is usually enough to make most homeowners a little wary of paying for things they might not need. It’s still worth looking at the pros and cons of having a few helpful furnace add ons thrown into the deal.
The benefits of furnace add ons in efficiency, safety, and performance are very real. For a few dollars more, you can see extensive savings over the course of the furnace’s working lifespan.
But, as with any purchase, you need to ask yourself the one important question: Is it suitable for my needs?
Not all homes require zonal heating, and not all homeowners need a programmable thermostat. You can only make that judgment.
The five most useful Furnace Add-ons you can purchase with your furnace installation:
Programmable Thermostat
Up early in the cold winter? Back home late at night? There is nothing better than coming home to a cozy, warm house. If you live alone or the other house occupants are out all day, this is a must-have furnace add-on.
The convenience it brings to a home is fabulous, and once you have one, you won’t want to live without a programmable thermostat.
Zonal Heating
If there is a room, or several rooms, in your home that gets used more often than the others, a zonal heating system is a very attractive add-on.
The ability to switch heat to your favorite spot or not to heat an unused room can save you hundreds of dollars every year. Although, smaller homes or homes with large families might not use this facility often.
Variable Speed Blowers
One of the most sophisticated and useful add-ons, variable speed blowers, help balance out the temperature throughout the home and significantly help reduce dust in the airflow. Once classed as an expensive-to-run luxury, blowers now use technology that makes them very economical and household-friendly.
Airflow throughout the home can be monitored year-round at little cost. It will increase the efficiency of other components of your system, specifically heat pumps and air conditioning units.
Air Filters
Unknown to most householders, the standard air filters that come with a furnace installation are usually economy grade. Many types of furnace filters can help increase efficiency and airflow improvement.
You can upgrade your system by switching to better quality products for very little cost.
Humidifier
A fantastic furnace add ons for your health and the health of your home. Adding a humidifier to your furnace system helps improve the air quality in your home.
Over winter, air moisture within a heated house can decrease dramatically, and dry air can lead to long-term structural problems if not dealt with properly. Also, cases of flu, colds and other respiratory diseases are known to become more prevalent in dry air environments.
These are just a few things to chew over when the next furnace installation rolls around. We’re all out there looking for a bargain, but sometimes a little extra cost at the beginning can save a lot of time and trouble further down the line.
Don’t do without for the sake of a few dollars, but also, don’t buy every furnace add-on that promises you a warmer, cheaper, happier home. Only you and your family can decide what’s best in the long run.
