Tips for Buying a New Furnace for Your Historic Home - Service Plus Indianapolis
Old house new furnace

Historic homes are charming and come with unique characteristics that you can’t find in new builds. With that charm comes many factors to consider to turn your historic house into a comfortable home for your family, especially your furnace. If you’re buying a historic home with a furnace that is more than ten years old, it’s time to replace your system. Below are some tips for buying a new furnace for your historic home.

Types of Furnaces

When it comes to buying a new furnace, there are three types of furnaces that are categorized by fuel combustion and size.

High Efficiency—These furnaces operate at 90% energy efficiency and are generally used for commercial spaces or large homes. We don’t recommend purchasing a high-efficiency furnace unless your historic home is enormous.

Medium Efficiency—A medium efficiency furnace will provide between 80%-90% energy efficiency. These furnaces offer flexibility in their design and can fit any home, even a historical one. Many of these medium-efficiency furnaces do not require a chimney to function.

Conventional Furnaces—These furnaces operate at a 75%-80% efficiency level, which may be the best efficiency level for a smaller historic home. The majority of conventional furnaces require a chimney. Luckily, chimneys are standard features in historic houses.

Consider Your Infrastructure

Since most historic homes likely already have a chimney, that is a possible way to vent your furnace. Although keep in mind that chimneys, especially old ones, often require treatments and maintenance that can be costly. Another option is to choose a furnace that does not require a chimney to operate, such as a medium efficiency unit that uses direct venting systems. Using chimneys as venting can limit you in terms of the position of your furnace and interior design options.

Make a Maintenance Plan

When purchasing a new furnace for your historic home, it’s always a good idea to think about how you will maintain your furnace over the coming years. Service Plus offers the Service Plus Club maintenance membership for a low monthly fee of just $8.25 per month. Keeping up with your new furnace’s maintenance will prevent breakdowns and expensive repairs in the future, ensuring your historic homes functions as well as any modern home.

Call an experienced Service Plus technician at (317) 434-2627 to discuss which furnace is right for your historic home today.

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