Are you thinking about upgrading your furnace but not quite sure where to begin?
We understand. Furnaces are more efficient than ever, with a plethora of features designed to keep you comfortable. They come in different sizes and shapes, some more powerful than others. They also have different price points based on their efficiency ratings.
The thermostat is the brains of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. But it’s the furnace that provides all the muscle, teaming up with your ductwork to send warm air throughout your Pennsylvania home.
And always remember, a happy home is a warm one! It would only take a few cold days in a row with no indoor heat for all the pipes in your home to freeze.
What matters most is to pick the right furnace that fits your budget and the size of your home. Our team at MW Mechanical Services has the knowledge and expertise to help you make that choice. We’re a trusted name in New Kensington, PA, for creating healthy homes. Give us a call today—we can schedule a free consultation to help with your next home improvement project.
Choosing the Right Furnace by Fuel Type
Your first decision is easy: choosing the fuel type.
The most common source is natural gas. Your local utility company supplies fuel to your home through an underground gas line. The price of natural gas is relatively stable, so you don’t have to worry about cost fluctuations. Plus, you never need to worry about storage.
- If you have access to a natural gas line, we strongly recommend a gas furnace. These furnaces have proven their value over the years for providing steady comfort on the coldest of days.
- Oil furnaces are a popular alternative in the United States, particularly in parts of the Northeast that do not have easy access to natural gas. These types of furnaces last longer than gas furnaces but do not operate as efficiently. Oil prices fluctuate more than natural gas prices, making it harder to gauge your monthly expenses. Plus, you will need a storage tank for the oil.
- Electric furnaces tend to last longer than gas furnaces and cost less to install. On the other hand, they are more expensive to operate and take longer to heat your home. Anyone living in a cold climate would enjoy more comfort with a gas or oil furnace.
Choosing the Right Furnace Speed
Furnaces run at different speeds. The operating speed you choose will impact your comfort, budget, and indoor air quality (IAQ).
Single-stage furnaces have just two settings, on or off. Your furnace switches on and continues to run to reach the desired temperature. Once it reaches the temperature, the furnace turns off. Single-stage furnaces are the most affordable models and easiest to install. But they are the least efficient and tend to create hot and cold spots in larger homes.
Two-stage furnaces run at full speed and half speed. This allows your furnace to heat your home more evenly, producing a more consistent temperature from room to room. In addition to producing better heating, the half-speed setting is much quieter.
Variable-speed furnaces are the gold standard of the heating world. These models adjust their speeds to provide precise comfort. They run longer at slower speeds, improving efficiencies while lowering your energy bills. Because they do not frequently cycle on and off, these systems tend to have fewer breakdowns.
Variable-speed furnaces are much more adept in maintaining your indoor air quality, catching harmful particles, and eliminating excess moisture that causes mold growth. Larger homes benefit tremendously from variable-speed furnaces.
Choosing an Efficient Furnace
The AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating on your furnace indicates how much energy it converts. An energy-efficient furnace with an AFUE rating of 95 can convert 95 percent of the energy it consumes into heat.
The higher the AFUE rating, the more money you save on monthly utility bills. Energy-efficient furnaces emit fewer greenhouse gases and make less noise when they operate. If you want to reduce your home’s carbon footprint, the perfect place to start is with your heating and cooling equipment!
How Much Money Can a New Furnace Save You?
Our AFUE energy savings calculator can help determine how much you could save on your utility bills. Enter your current unit’s AFUE value and compare it to a newer, more efficient system.
AFUE Energy Savings Calculator
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Customize to Your Home
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** Data from U.S. Energy Information Administration
*** Data from 2002 EPA study
** Data for Canadian cities from nrcan.gc.ca
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Furnace Installation or Replacement
Don’t invest in a quality HVAC system and then hire a substandard contractor to install it. You will never enjoy the full benefits of a system installed incorrectly.
At MW Mechanical Services, we specialize in installing equipment the right way. We take our time to ensure everything is measured correctly. Our team will also conduct a thorough energy audit of your home to find additional ways to lower your energy use.
Be sure to ask about our convenient financing options, subject to approved credit, designed to make it easy for you to create your dream home.
Furnace Repairs
Odd-sounding noises, a spike in energy bills, or constant cycling—these signs indicate a problem with your furnace. Don’t wait for a minor issue to turn into a costly problem. Give us a call today if you detect a problem with your HVAC system. We promise never to replace a part unless necessary—or if we can demonstrate significant cost savings.
Furnace Maintenance
Want to get the most value from your HVAC system? Develop a preventative maintenance plan. Doing so can rejuvenate your equipment, increase your comfort, and lower your operating costs.
Call Us Today
Our entire team at MW Mechanical Services values the trust you placed in our company—we promise to work extra hard to keep your business. Let us install your next furnace. Give our New Kensington, PA, office a call today for a free consultation. Call us at 724-201-3043 or request service online today.
“I do not write many reviews; however, I am writing this one as I was very impressed with the entire team at MW. I called MW on a Friday morning requesting an inspection of my furnace, they quoted me $98 for the inspection. I requested this inspection as a result of my long-term HVAC company red tagging the furnace during an inspection/cleaning earlier Friday morning. This HVAC companies' technician did not provide, from my perspective, sufficient justification/evidence for red tagging the furnace. The technician appeared to become upset when I asked questions to understand what he saw that made the furnace unsafe. The technician justified red tagging the furnace due to a leaking secondary heat exchanger (and the age of the furnace) yet CO levels were normal and there was no apparent evidence of a leak. It appeared to me that I was experiencing a high-pressure sales pitch (especially given that it was 20 degrees outside).
Mark from MW arrived early Friday afternoon and performed a thorough inspection of the furnace. Mark found no indications of a leaking heat exchanger and noted CO levels were normal. Mark demonstrated great patience in answering my questions. Mark subsequently discussed options with me regarding replacing the furnace now (while the IRS rebate was still available), waiting for manufacturer discounts in the Spring or waiting until the furnace failed and actually required replacement (which Mark discussed could happen tomorrow or in several years). Mark spent about two hours at my house. I did not make a decision regarding replacing the furnace while Mark was at the house. There was no high-pressure sales pitch. Though I had agreed to pay $98 for MW to inspect the furnace, and even though I tried insisting, Mark did not accept payment for the inspection and validation the furnace was safe to operate. Mark noted he considered this inspection was actually a quote for a furnace replacement and was not going to charge for providing a quote.
MW subsequently provided a reasonable quote (the quote was thousands of dollars lower than the quote provided to me, for an almost identical carrier system, by the HVAC company that red tagged my furnace). With the red tag still on the furnace and still having some concerns regarding the safety of the furnace, I decided to have MW replace the system.
Seth and his team arrived at my house the following Friday, one week after the furnace had been red tagged, to install a new carrier system. This team was professional, courteous, friendly, on-task the entire time and Seth and his partner Caleb worked well together. The rip out and installation took most of the day. Once the old heat exchanger was removed, I had the opportunity to get a closer look at the heat exchanger and take some pictures. There were no visual cracks or leaks apparent in this heat exchanger. MW's evaluation appears to be correct that the system was safe to operate contrary to the claim of the other HVAC company. I failed on the side of safety with the decision to replace the system. When Seth and Caleb were done, the area was cleaner than when they started. Seth showed good patience in showing me how to operate the system including installing the Android phone App and getting the system connected to my Alexa.
I was very impressed with the MW team and appreciated the honesty, the work ethic and the reasonable price.”
“Professional, efficient, knowledgeable and courteous”
“MW Mechanical Services are incredibly fast, affordable and no nonsense! Alyssa and Kaleb were professional, easy to understand and friendly. We thought we needed a very expensive part, but all we needed was to bleed our lines. Our techs did this quickly and efficiently and saved us do much money on labor and parts. I’m very impressed and will hire them yearly for maintenance.”
“Came when she said she was going to come. Got my furnace up and running to keep my family warm and told me what my options were afterwards. Very pleasant person. Very easy to talk to. If I need service again or have it install I would like her to be on the team”
“Alyssa was extremely kind! She was detailed in the explanation of repairs and quote for the services. I was happy to sign up for the loyalty program after seeing her amazing work firsthand. With a young child at home, it was so important to have our heating system fixed quickly and properly; and she did just that. Thank you so much for your help!”
“We are extremely pleased with both the work and help we received having our HVAC system replaced. First, Lisa helped us to coordinate with our insurance company. Also, all of the technicians Jordan, Seth, Nick, and Caleb were awesome. They were knowledgeable and great to work with. We couldn't be more pleased with their service.
Geff and Dee Caesar”
“Sunday emergency call for no heat and met with a prompt response and quick dispatch. Carter arrived with a spare board which was the suspected failure of my HVAC system. Upon arrival Carter started troubleshooting and discovered some odd behavior from the system. He suspected a bad thermostat, but then more odd behavior from the wiring led us to believe it was a faulty wire. After more troubleshooting nothing seemed to make sense until he discovered the condensate pump may have been the root cause. A quick troubleshooting and cleaning solved the issue for heating and we were good to go. Thankfully nothing major was broken however discovery wasn't straightforward and I'm glad the issue was resolved without being upsold or given any scare tactics for a new furnace; just a fair price for labor and emergency dispatch. Overall I'm very satisfied with Carter and MW Mechanical.”
“I called for a maintenance check before turning the furnace on for the first time this season. Seth and Caleb were the technicians who checked the furnace. They did a great job, and were professional and knowledgeable. This isn't the first time I've used MW Mechanical and it won't be the last. They're very good at what they do.”