What Size Furnace Do I Need for My Home?
Winters in Scranton, PA, can get cold, so you want your home to be a safe, warm retreat from the frigid outdoors. To ensure your comfort on these cold days, you need a properly functioning furnace. And for the system to achieve the right temperatures, it must be the right size to meet the demands of your home. So, what size furnace is the best for your home?
Purchasing the wrong furnace is a common mistake that results in chilly temperatures and additional expenses. Enlist the services of T.E. Spall & Son to avoid these problems and select the furnace size that will best suit your needs. Manufacturers measure furnace heat in British thermal units (BTUs), which is how much energy is needed to heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. The higher the BTU rating on your furnace, the more heat it will produce in your home.
What Size Furnace Do I Need?
One determining factor in how to size a furnace is the amount of square footage in your home. If you don’t know the square footage of your home offhand, you can generally find this information on the blueprints or in your closing documents.
Typically, bigger homes will require more BTUs in order to produce enough heat. Consider the following examples as a guideline for your home:
- 1,200-square-foot house: 36,000 to 72,000 BTUs
- 1,500-square-foot house: 45,000 to 90,000 BTUs
- 1,800-square-foot house: 54,000 to 108,000 BTUs
- 2,100-square-foot house: 63,000 to 126,000 BTUs
- 2,400-square-foot house: 72,000 to 144,000 BTUs
The suggested BTUs for each house size is a range of numbers, so square footage alone is not the most helpful detail.
Other factors to consider when selecting your furnace size include:
- Your home’s exposure to the sun
- Window size
- Number of occupants
- Age of the home
- Number of stores/floors
- Ductwork
Consider your preferences, too. The desired temperature you want to keep in your home is another factor in choosing the right furnace size.
Identify Your Climate Zone
Finding out what climate zone your home is in will also help determine how many BTUs your furnace will need to produce. As a general guideline, the farther you are from the equator, the more BTUs your furnace will need. Scranton, you’re pretty far!
Each climate zone has a recommended number of BTUs per square foot. This information is crucial when selecting the correct furnace size for your home. Scranton is in one of the coldest zones, requiring a furnace that produces between 45 and 60 BTUs.
Let T.E. Spall & Son Help
If you need a new furnace in Scranton, we can help you purchase one with the right BTUs to keep your family warm and cozy throughout the winter. Our team will also help you determine whether an oil furnace or gas furnace is best for your home. Give us a call to speak to one of our friendly professionals.
Contact us online or give us a call at 570-282-3000 for more information or to schedule an appointment for furnace service in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, or the surrounding Pennsylvania areas.
