A common event many homeowners experience is buying a replacement furnace or a new furnace for a newly constructed home. Not only do you have to consider budget, but you have to keep in mind the efficiency, size, and more when buying a new furnace, though initially seeming simple. If you are in the market for a new furnace, it can be overwhelming to understand all of the technical information, ultimately. One term you are likely to have come across is the BTU. The BTU is a great place to start to help you find the correct size of furnace for your home and accurately compare different brands and models. The BTU is what we at Air Supply Heating & Air Conditioning would like to discuss today.
What is the Meaning & Importance of a Furnace BTU?
A unit of measurement for the heating systems capacity is the BTU, which is an acronym for British Thermal Unit. The BTU measures how much energy is required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1°F in technical terms. How much energy a furnace or heat pump can produce in other words is indicated with the rating. In general, the larger the home, the more BTUs your system will need to effectively heat your home. Though residential furnaces can range from 40,000 to 200,000 BTUs, most homes will fall into the 80,000 to 100,000 range. As we touched on earlier, BTU is all about capacity. The terms can be confusing, we already know the BTU term with energy-efficiency, there is also the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, or AFUE regarding furnaces, and for heat pumps, it is the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, or the SEER.
How Many BTUs are Needed to Heat a House?
It is important that your furnace is the correct size for your home and in this situation, bigger is not always better. It is not as simple as it looks calculating the size required for your home, unfortunately. Since the most accurate method is the Manual J Load calculation, there are takes several factors into account that are listed below. The BTU Factors to Consider are:
– The door and window tightness
– The occupant’s average number
– Square footage
– Grade of the insulation
– Sun exposure
– Building materials & home’s construction
Forced Air Furnace Diagnosis, Repair, Replacement, Maintenance & More in Summerlin, North LV, Henderson, Centennial, Enterprise, Lone Mountain Village, Paradise, Sunrise Manor, Spring Valley, Aliante, Desert Shores, Eldorado, Peccole Ranch, Silverado Ranch, Tuscany Village, Whitney, Winchester & Las Vegas Nevada
It is in your better interest to hire a professional and experienced HVAC technician, calculating the required BTU using the Manual J Load calculation is not an easy task, for most homeowners. The professionals of Air Supply Air Conditioning & Heating can help you with the process when it comes to buying a new furnace for your Greater Las Vegas, NV area home. In addition to helping you find the furnace that fits your budget, preferred features, and quality model, our specialist will help you calculate the BTUs as well as the AFUE. Call Air Supply Heating & Air Conditioning today to get the process started on buying a new furnace