A Baltimore gas furnace is your best bet when it comes to heating your Monument City home. Heating with natural gas makes good sense from a financial and convenience standpoint, and a new gas furnace in Baltimore will provide your home with comfortable, consistent, quiet home heating that is energy efficient to boot. Here's a quick run down of the positives and negatives of a gas furnace in Baltimore, as well as average costs, to help you determine whether a gas furnace is the right choice for you.
Baltimore Gas Furnace Costs
Just what does a gas furnace in Baltimore run these days? ServiceMagic.com tracks furnace installations in Crabtown that originated as contractor referrals through our online services, and based on the data we've collected, an average gas furnace in Baltimore costs about $6,900 to install. That average cost is a little bit higher than in most other major metropolitan areas across the country, and can probably be attributed to the wider spread use of alternative heating fuels and methods (such as boiler systems and heating systems fueled by heating oil). Converting to a gas furnace from one of these systems can be a large project that necessitates not only a new gas furnace in Baltimore, but also the installation of the proper ductwork along with your new heating unit. If your home is already gas furnace ready, however, your final costs will probably end up running quite a bit less. While $6,900 is our average, jobs in the $3,500 to $5,000 range in Baltimore aren't at all uncommon.
Energy Efficiency and Your Baltimore Gas Furnace
High AFUE Ratings and Your Baltimore Gas Furance
Baltimore Gas Furnace Installation
Since you're likely to face higher initial costs when you purchase a gas furnace in Baltimore, shopping with energy efficiency in mind is a good idea. Every gas furnace is assigned an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating that indicates the percentage of fuel it utilizes in producing heat for your home. High efficiency models sport AFUE ratings of 90 percent or better, mid-efficiency models are in the 80 percent range, and older, low-efficiency furnaces can have AFUE ratings as low as 60 percent. Just how much can a high-efficiency unit save you when it comes to energy costs? Replace a 15 or 20 year old furnace with a 97 AFUE rated furnace, and you're looking at cutting energy costs attributed to heating your home by a whopping 30 to 50 percent!
Despite those huge savings, be sure to talk with your HVAC contractor about what AFUE rating is going to be best for your Baltimore home. From a financial standpoint, the higher costs of the most cutting edge gas furnace might make these models tough to justify in a mild climate like Baltimore's. Often, choosing a mid-efficiency unit is a better investment in Crabtown. You'll still experience substantial energy savings over your older heating system, but the lower cost will make it more likely that you'll make your money back over time.
AFUE ratings and other features that increase energy efficiency are important, but even the best gas furnace in Baltimore can end up being a energy drain if it isn't installed correctly or if the ductwork isn't up to speed. That said, hiring a contractor in Baltimore that is experienced in installing gas furnaces is a critical step in making sure that your new furnace is going to operate at optimum efficiency. Talk to at least three contractors, compare bids, and check references to ensure that you get the best contractor, and the best deal, on your new furnace in Crabtown.
