One thing that needs to be borne in mind is whether or not you need automatic furnace ignition, since a control panel with this will make your life much easier, as will a proper thermostat which can be programmed to turn the furnace on at times when you need the most heat. This is usually first thing in the morning when you want to get up into a warm house, and late at night when the rooms can become chilly, especially the bedrooms.

When it comes to the type of fuel the furnace will use there are essentially two types, which are the natural gas furnace, a type which is growing in popularity, since it enables you to move the furnace around, and a portable furnace, something that can make your life much easier. If you have a bedroom, for instance, that is fairly cold, you can move the furnace to wherever you want it, because it does not need a static supply. But if natural gas is the thing you are looking for, you need to make sure the that it has a high efficiency rate, because this will save you money due to the fact that it will use far less gas than a less efficient model. In times of high fuel costs this can be very important.

Direct spark ignition

One furnace worth looking at is the self-contained furnace model GPG15 from Goodman. This is a high-efficiency furnace, with a two-stage compressor and a corrosion-resistant aluminized steel heat exchanger. It has a redundant two-stage gas valve which uses natural gas but can be converted to propane, while the direct spark ignition has microprocessor control and self-diagnostic operation. This model is approved to California Low NOx regulations. Another decent furnace is the Rinnai ES38N direct vent wall furnace. Retailing at $1,600 approx, this is a natural gas furnace with modulating gas valve, sealed combustion and gives 38,400 BTU of heat output.

For a slightly higher output furnace, there is the 75,000 BTU Rheem gas furnace. This furnace can operate at 70% capacity for low-heat and can be used with both single or two-stage thermostats. A stainless steel heat exchanger is corrosion resistant, while the integrated control board enables a humidifier to be connected. It is also a quiet furnace, with a variable speed blower motor to give humidity control and energy savings.

Condensing gas furnace

One thing to think about is whether or not you want to buy a condensing gas furnace, which can be a highly efficient model indeed. Gas furnace reviews will enable you to find the best models, though it can be a good idea to take advice from a professional heating contractor, who will be able to come up with a custom heating solution for your house, and also tell you how much maintenance you will need to do on your heating system. Some of these will include the control panel, the thermostat, and the fans, all of which will need to be replaced at certain times. If you want to have the best technology available you really cannot do better than having a digital control panel, since this can control the heat output very accurately, which means you only need to have heating on when you need it.

Of course, there will be costs involved, but luckily there is a wide range of prices available, including some cheap furnaces that can do a good job as long as you make sure they are big enough for you. But you also need to look at how much the maintenance will be over the course of a few years, because this is where the costs can really add up. Take a look at some of the gas furnace suppliers you can find on the internet, and then see what kind of reviews they have regarding the service. Do this, and also get advice from a professional heating contractor, and you are likely to get a furnace they will keep your house warm and give you give years of service.