Furnaces
Home heating accounts for the biggest share of your household energy costs about 60 per cent so it makes sense to use your furnace as efficiently as possible
- High efficiency home - heating systems (PDF 93 KB)
Quick tips
Furnace sizing For comfort and efficiency, your furnace must be the correct size for your home. Take into account factors such as the size, construction and heat loss of your home, local winter temperatures, ductwork design, filter system, venting and space limitations. A licensed gas contractor can ensure that the furnace you choose is just right for the job.
Home improvements Upgrade your home's windows, doors, weatherstripping or insulation before choosing a new furnace. These improvements reduce the amount of heat lost from your home and reduce the size of the furnace you need.
Installation The best furnace on the market won't perform to its potential if it's not installed properly. A good installation is critical. After your furnace installation is complete, ask your contractor to provide the results of all tests specified in the manufacturer's installation instructions.
Compare quotes Purchase and installation prices may vary considerably. Compare different products, and get several installation quotes.
Shopping for a new furnace?
Upgrading your furnace may be the most effective way to improve your home's energy efficiency and save money on heating costs. Today's natural gas furnaces are technically advanced and are up to 97 per cent efficient! That means that for every dollar you spend on energy, 97 cents is used for heat. By comparison, older furnaces are typically about 60 per cent efficient.
What's more, yesterday's continuously burning pilot light has been replaced with energy-saving spark or hot-surface ignition. Also, you can now vent a natural gas furnace directly through a basement wall to reduce the cost of installing, maintaining and repairing a chimney.
You can choose between two types of natural gas furnaces:
Mid-efficiency (non-condensing) furnaces
The minimum allowable furnace efficiency today is 78 per cent Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency or higher, making mid-efficiency (non-condensing) furnaces today's standard. They usually include spark or hot-surface ignition and a venter fan or automatic vent damper and achieve an annual efficiency of 78-82 per cent.
High-efficiency (condensing) furnaces
If you're building a new home or replacing your existing furnace, consider a high-efficiency model.
These units have two heat exchangers to recover even more heat from flue gases. They are between 90-97 per cent efficient, and can be vented through an exterior wall, so you don't need a chimney.
In general, the higher your energy bill, the greater your potential savings with a high-efficiency furnace.
AFUE ratings
AFUE stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. It's a measure of how well an appliance converts fuel into heat. If your furnace has an AFUE rating of 90 percent, that means that 90 cents out of every dollar you spend on fuel ends up as useful heat.
Maintenance
- Schedule a checkup and maintenance for your furnace as early in the fall as possible, so it's working as good as new when the cold sets in.
- Check and change the filter regularly. If you have a reusable filter, mark your calendar for periodic cleaning. Filters are very important for maintaining healthy air quality.
- Don't crowd your furnace or boiler! Leave space and air around it. Make sure there are no combustible materials stored nearby. Keep things like bleach, cleaning products and aerosols well away.
Warning signs
There are almost always warning signs that a furnace isn't working properly.
- Frequent pilot light outages (not all furnaces have pilot lights check your manual)
- Delayed ignition (mid and high-efficiency furnaces have an intentional delay check your manual)
- A yellow or wavering flame
- Excessive soot or corrosion on the appliance or vent (white, brown or black streaks)
- Signs that the flame has 'rolled-out' of the furnace scorch marks by the door or other opening
- Too much or too little heat
- A continuous or intermittent odour, either the "rotten egg" or sulphur smell of natural gas or a sharp odour that causes eyes to sting
- Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: nausea, headaches, lethargy or other flu-like symptoms
More information
Check out our complete list of brochures and information sheets about natural gas appliances and equipment.
Safety counts
Read our advice on safe operation and maintenance of your natural gas appliances.
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