Should You Invest In Insulation or a New Furnace?
https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/publications/pubdocs/HeatingCoolingGuide%20FINAL_9-4-09.pdf
A Guide to Energy-Efficient Heating and Cooling. USEPA Energy Star. August 2009.
If you want to make an investment in your house — and insulation and a new furnace are on the list — it makes the most sense to upgrade your insulation and seal any air leaks BEFORE you upgrade your furnace. Adding insulation to your home will improve your comfort and your furnace’s efficiency – the furnace won’t need to work as hard to keep your home warm. You may not even need to upgrade your furnace after you see the benefits of adding insulation!
Now consider what would happen if you were to upgrade your furnace first. You would purchase an efficient and powerful (and expensive) furnace to condition a home that is leaking a lot of heat through the roof and possibly the walls. You would eventually decide to have more insulation installed to save money on energy bills and increase your comfort. But after improving your insulation, your newer furnace would be oversized for your home because your home isn’t leaking heat anymore. When your furnace is oversized, it heats your house up very quickly, which means it runs in short cycles that wear the equipment faster. It can also lead to temperature spikes, which feel uncomfortably warm and then uncomfortably cold when the temperature drops before triggering the furnace to come on again.
Make sure your home investments are smart. Urban Insulation can evaluate your insulation needs and give you a reasonable quote. Call us today!
