New Furnace Installation and Replacement in New Albany, Ohio

New Albany, Ohio, is the home to the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany, the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course at the New Albany Country Club, and the soon-to-be-home of one of Intel’s largest manufacturing plants.

As late as 1980, the census listed only 414 residents in the village. How times have changed.

The city, founded in Plain Township and located partially in Franklin County and partially in Licking County, had a bustling population of 10,825 as reported by the 2020 census.

It’s also one of Fire & Ice’s service areas, and we are proud to look after the community’s heating and cooling needs. 

Our company believes in being as open as possible. It’s the best way to earn your trust.

So, in that spirit, let us be the bearers of bad news. If you don’t know how old your furnace is, and you’ve lived in your home for more than ten years, there’s a chance that this might be its last winter.

Worse, while it’s working overtime during a cold snap is most likely the time it will stop providing heat. A simple repair might be able to get it going again, but certain furnace repairs can cost thousands of dollars. And it might be only a temporary fix until something else wears out.

There comes a time when you’d be better off with a new unit.

We’d like to prepare you for that scenario because it’s far worse if that decision has to be made quickly - especially if you’re cold and miserable. You might be inclined to go with the first estimate you hear, not knowing if another choice would better suit your comfort needs.

You might even make the unfortunate decision to hire an HVAC contractor who will sell you a furnace that’s not right for your home. What’s worse is that it might not be installed correctly. (It happens more than you think.)

We’d like to dispense some basic information about furnaces so that you can make a knowledgeable decision when the time comes.

Types of Furnaces: Electric and Fuel Burning

An electric furnace consists of an air handler that has heating coils added to it (sometimes called a heat package or heat strips). The coils are a bit like the inside of a toaster. They glow red when they’re hot, and the blower fan (more on this later) pushes the heat through the ductwork and into your home.

They can be handy if you don’t have access to propane, or don’t want to spring for the cost of propane or oil. The downside is that heating this way is inefficient. It takes a lot of power to heat those coils. If you’re relying on the furnace for all of your heat, your energy bill will take a hit.

Fuel-burning furnaces come in three varieties: oil, propane, and natural gas. We do repairs on all types of furnaces, but we sell only the natural gas type. They are popular because historically the price of natural gas is far cheaper than electricity, oil, and propane.

It’s also true that flames emit far more heat than coils. Gas furnaces heat the air to around 120 - 140 degrees Fahrenheit. An electric furnace heats the air to about 95 degrees. Especially in colder climates, you will want that extra warmth; it warms your house faster and can fight off even the coldest of outdoor temperatures.

Types of Blower Fans

There’s a blower fan that lives in your furnace, no matter what type it is. It regulates the airflow going through the ductwork. It works even in the summer, circulating cool air from the air conditioner or heat pump.

● Single-Speed: This is the most basic of fans, and costs the least. As the name implies, it has only one speed: 100% on. It is the cheapest option.

● Two-Speed: This fan has two operating speeds. When it first starts, it usually comes on at 100%. Then it throttles back to around 60% of its capacity. When it’s in this mode, it circulates the air in the house better, helping to eliminate hot and cold spots; it’s quieter than the single-speed; and it saves energy because it can run at a slower speed.

● Variable-Speed: The Cadillac of blowers. It can run anywhere from 0 to 100, and can increase or decrease incrementally to keep the indoor temperature constant. It runs the quietest, circulates the air the best, and saves the most energy. It is also the most expensive.

RELATED: The Complete Guide to Home Furnaces

Furnace Stages

Stages refer to the amount of heat produced by the furnace at any given time. It is somewhat like fan speeds in the sense that there are three varieties.

Single-stage vs. Two-Stage Furnaces

The single-stage furnace unit has two settings: ON or OFF, 100%, or nothing.

Two-stage furnaces will have a second setting that’s about 60% of the maximum heating output.

The second type reduces the number of times your furnace has to start and stop. This creates less wear and tear on it. Over many years, this can add up, and has the potential to add years to its lifetime.

It’s handy when you don’t need 100% heating capacity. If the temperature drops to 50 degrees, you may need only a little bit of heat to stay warm. That is the perfect time for that lower stage.

And the less power it uses, the less money is spent on your monthly heating costs.

Modulating Furnaces

Modulating furnaces have multiple heating stages, from 100% capacity to as low as around 40%. They modulate between these stages to provide optimal comfort to a home. If two stages of heating are a noticeable improvement over single-stage in a few areas, the same is true of two stages vs. multiple stages: lowered energy costs, increased comfort, less starting and stopping.

Additionally, the lower heat settings often allow modulating furnace units to more evenly heat a home.

Asking the Right Questions - What Heating Problems Need Solving?

Here are some questions you should consider, and are also ones that a good HVAC salesperson should discuss with you when they visit for an in-home estimate.

1.  How long do you expect to be in your home? If you plan on selling in a few years, you’re probably not going to see the long-term benefits of a modulating system. The smaller energy bills will not offset the higher upfront cost. But if you plan on ten or more years in your current home, that’s when upgrading to a more comfortable, high efficient heating system can pay long-term dividends. It will provide the most comfort and energy savings.
2. Are you planning on replacing both the furnace and air conditioner or heat pump, or just one? If you plan on doing only one, that’s where equipment compatibility comes into play, and it may limit your options. A lot of people are surprised to learn that not all HVAC equipment is compatible with all other types of equipment. This is most important when matching air conditioners or heat pumps with furnaces. If your existing air conditioner is two-stage, for example, it makes sense to try to match the furnace to this level of operation (or vice versa). Make sure your contractor carefully explains what will and what will not work.
3. How many levels are in your home? While any home can benefit from any of these furnace types, a single-level home such as a ranch is less likely to have big differences in temperature between areas. In these homes, modulating technology will be less effective. Alternately, temperature variance in multi-level homes can often be solved by that same equipment.
4. Are there hot and cold spots in the home? How bothersome are they? If this is a problem you want to address, you should seriously consider dual-stage or variable-speed equipment before you make a decision.
5. How much do you use your furnace? If you wait until the coldest winter months to turn on your furnace, you won’t get as much benefit out of modulating equipment. But if you use your furnace a lot during spring and autumn, a two-stage or modulating unit becomes a much better option.

How Much Does a New Furnace Replacement Cost in New Albany?

A new furnace replacement can cost between $3,000 - $8,400, depending on the size of your home, the efficiency of your new furnace, and the sophistication of the equipment. That includes labor and permit fees.

The range accounts for smaller homes all the way up to homes that are 5,000 square feet. It also includes single-stage, two-stage, and variable-speed furnaces, as well as each of those types in both standard and high-efficiency models. Your home’s size will affect the final pricing.

Read more: How Much Does a New Furnace Replacement Cost?

 “Knowledgeable, professional and personable. Impressed with everyone from the salesperson to the installers.”

Buying a New Furnace in New Albany, Ohio

Your money is your own, and your home is your own, which is why the ultimate decision on a new furnace should be yours alone. However, an experienced HVAC partner - one that’s interested in presenting options and educating you on each, rather than simply making a sale - can help you in that decision.

If you’re ready to sit down and have that talk, we’d love to be invited to the table with you. If you live in New Albany or elsewhere in Central Ohio, fill out the service area checker below to get started.