New Furnace Installation and Replacement in Pickerington, OH

Pickerington, Ohio, straddles the line between Franklin and Fairfield Counties. It was founded in 1815 as Jacksonville, named after President Andrew Jackson. And it is home to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and the Picktown Palooza, which takes place in the middle of July.

It is also home to numerous homeowners for whom we’ve had the pleasure of taking care of their heating needs.

If you’re like most owners, you don’t pay much attention to your furnace. As long as it’s keeping you warm, you leave it alone. Out of sight, out of mind.

But your heating system might be giving you signs that it’s time to think about replacing it.

Some of the warning signs include:

• Higher than normal energy bill
• Strange new noises coming from the furnace
• Heat that doesn’t feel as warm as it used to
• It turns on and off frequently
• Frequent, costly repairs

Over the years, we’ve heard from hundreds of customers in the middle of winter whose furnaces have shown signs of dying. If your furnace is 15-20 years old (or even older!), it might be time to think about a new one.

In most cases, we offer next-day installation. And we always offer free advice, whether it’s through our online learning centeror through a face-to-face meeting, when we can provide a free estimate.

This article will explore the options available to you while you shop for a new furnace. Armed with that knowledge, you’ll be able to ask a contractor the right questions so you wind up with HVAC equipment that suits your unique needs.

What Is an Electric Furnace?

An electric furnace consists of an air handler that has heating coils added to it (sometimes called a heat package or heat strips). Electric furnaces work a bit like a hair dryer. The heated coils glow red when they’re hot. The blower fan then pushes warm air through your ductwork.

Sometimes, an electric furnace will act only as “auxiliary” or “emergency” heat, with the main heating coming from a heat pump. When the heat pump starts to shut down as the temperature drops, the call will come (sometimes manually, sometimes automatically) for heat, jump-starting the furnace to do its thing.

Unlike fossil-fuel-burning furnaces (more on that soon), electric furnaces produce no waste. All of the money you put into your energy bill produces heat. The downside is that those coils chew up a lot of energy; it’s an inefficient HVAC system.

What Is a Fuel-Burning Furnace?

There are three varieties of fuel-burning furnaces, which produce heat through a combustion process:

• Natural gas furnaces are a type we sell at Fire & Ice. The major requirement for owning one is that your gas supplier has to run a line to a meter on the house. Twenty years or so ago, these created a flame through a pilot light. Today’s models have a hot surface igniter, which is more reliable. Natural gas remains the most popular of the fossil-fuel-burning furnaces because the price of gas is considerably cheaper than propane and heating oil.
• A propane furnace is the second most popular fuel-burning furnace. You’ll see these mostly in the country, where a natural gas line is unavailable.
• Oil furnaces are still being manufactured, and we still meet with homeowners who are happy with their oil furnaces.

Regardless of the fuel source, these furnaces produce some waste. A standard unit that’s rated at 80% uses 80 cents out of every dollar to make heat. The other 20% is expelled; it’s largely a mixture of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

A high-efficiency furnace can operate at up to 98% efficiency because it has a secondary heat exchanger. These are more expensive than standard-efficiency, but you can see a reduction in your energy bill.

What Are Furnace Stages, and Why Do They Matter?

The single-stage furnace. This was the standard for decades. It has two positions: on and off. When it’s on, it operates at 100%. Once the set temperature is reached, the furnace shuts completely off.

Assuming the furnace is a good fit for the home, its heating efficiency is satisfactory. It does have some drawbacks: the constant starting and stopping can create uneven temperatures; the machinery takes a beating every time it kicks on; and it takes more energy to start from zero to get to full blast every time.

The two-stage furnace is more advanced than the single-stage furnace, and costs more, as well. It can operate at 100% when that much heat is needed. But it also can run a second stage when less heat is needed - usually around 60%.

It consumes less energy, does a better job of mixing cool and warm air, can run quieter, and consumes less energy.

The modulating furnace is the most sophisticated, and costs the most. A modulating furnace adjusts, or modulates, its output from low to high and anywhere in between to maintain the home’s temperature. The indoor temperature will remain steady no matter what the outside temperature is. It has several advantages:

• Energy savings – Because the furnace is not operating at 100 percent capacity every time it cycles on and off, it’s using less energy than a single- or two-stage furnace
• Even temperatures – A modulating furnace consistently keeps the home’s temperature within one degree of the thermostat setting at all times
• Noise reduction – A modulating furnace runs much quieter than a single- or two-stage furnace because it moves a smaller amount of air when it’s running.
• Air filtration – Because the furnace runs longer, it pushes more air into the supply ducts, and then gets more air from the return ducts. That leads to a more thorough filtration of air, leading to higher air quality.
• No more hot and cold spots – Cold spots in the home occur when a single-stage furnace increases the temperature by the thermostat rapidly, then shuts down before the heat reaches other areas of the house. Because a modulating furnace runs longer, the warm air has more of a chance to mix with the cold, creating even temperatures everywhere.

What Are the Furnace Fan Speed Options?

The blower motor in the furnace is what moves air throughout your system. It works with the furnace to move warm air in the winter, and it works with your air conditioner in the summer.

Basic furnaces have a single-stage blower, meaning, it’s either “on” or “off.”

Two-speed blowers will usually have a 100% setting, then another that’s lower (usually around 60%). This provides additional control and comfort.

Variable-speed blowers can have hundreds of individual speed settings. This offers a granular level of control over your heating and cooling. It will run the quietest, do a better job of mixing the indoor air so that it eliminates cold areas, saves energy because it doesn’t have to work as hard, and is the best solution to improve indoor air quality and offers enhanced summer dehumidification.

It is, of course, also the most expensive option.

Fire & Ice Customer Reviews: Pickerington, OH

Don’t be fooled by the New Albany sweatshirt in the video below. That’s yet another area we service, but Phil is a resident of Pickerington and a satisfied Fire & Ice customer.

“I switched to Fire & Ice about 18 months ago. I have been very pleased with their honesty and integrity. I intend to renew my service contract….”

- Alan Tischer

What Is the Price of a New Furnace in Pickerington?

A new furnace replacement can cost between $3,000 - $8,400, depending on the size of your home, the energy efficiency of your new furnace, and the sophistication of the equipment. That includes labor and permit fees and not just equipment costs.

The range above accounts for smaller homes all the way up to homes that are 5,000 square feet. It includes standard-efficiency and high-efficiency models; single-stage, two-stage, and modulating furnaces; and all three types of fan speeds. It also covers electric and fuel-burning units.

It does not include indoor air quality products such as humidifiers, dehumidifiers, or air purifiers. Talk to an HVAC expert to see if one or more of these options would be right for you.

Read more: How Much Does a New Furnace Replacement Cost

Buying a New Furnace in Pickerington, OH

Buying an expensive piece of equipment can be intimidating, especially with so many options and so much information to consider. We hope that we’ve given you some direction so that you can make a wise choice.

We would love to be your HVAC contractor. If you’re in Pickerington, Ohio, or anywhere in Central Ohio, reach out to us today. In most cases, we offer next-day installation.

At Fire & Ice, we take pride in doing the work correctly the first time, every time. Whether it’s a repair or a professional furnace installation, we have the expertise and knowledge to provide maximum comfort to your home.

And if you want to learn more about furnaces, we recommend reading the following:

HVAC Buyer’s Guide

The Complete Guide to Home Furnaces