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What Size Furnace Do I Need for My Minneapolis‑St. Paul Home?

sealed furnace

In the market for a new furnace?

If so, you may have seen that furnaces come in different sizes (i.e., different BTU outputs), and you might be wondering which size you need.

Unfortunately, without having a licensed professional look at your home, it’s impossible to say what size is right for your home.

Why?

The size of your furnace depends on several factors, including:

  • The layout and design of your home
  • Your home’s insulation levels
  • Type of roofing on your house
  • Materials of your home
  • And much more

This is called a load calculation, and is the only way to ensure you’ll get the right size furnace for your home.

Below, we’ll go into more detail about:

  • How a load calculation helps you find the right size furnace
  • Why you need a correctly-sized furnace in the first place

Want a size recommendation for your new furnace?

Schedule an appointment today

How a load calculation helps you find the right size furnace

Like we mentioned in the beginning, a load calculation is the best way to ensure you end up with a correctly-sized furnace.

A heating load calculation involves looking at several factors specific to your home to determine how much heat your home needs.

Some professionals don’t take the time to do a load calculation and only provide size recommendations based on the square footage of your home. However, square footage is only one of the many factors to consider when sizing a furnace.

In addition to square footage, a professional should also consider:

The condition of your home’s ductwork

  • The layout and design of your home
  • Your home’s insulation levels
  • Type of roofing on your house
  • Materials of your home
  • How many people live in your home
  • The orientation of your home (i.e., north-facing, east-facing, etc.)
  • The height of your home’s ceilings

Our advice? Make sure the HVAC contractor you hire to install your new furnace performs a load calculation to take into account all of those factors—not just the square footage of your home. If you hire a contractor that doesn’t consider those factors, you could end up with an over- or undersized furnace, which will just cost you more money in the long run.

Why you need a correctly-sized furnace

You might think a bigger furnace is automatically better—but that’s actually not the case.

When it comes to furnace shopping, a furnace that’s too big or too small for your home can cause some serious issues.

For example, a furnace that’s too big causes problems such as:

  • Higher energy bills: A furnace that’s too big will heat your home quickly and then shut off, and repeat that cycle continuously. The constant shutting on and off is not energy-efficient and will lead to higher energy bills.
  • Uneven temperatures: Since an oversized furnace heats your home really fast, it doesn’t give the blower enough time to push the air to every corner of a room. This creates warm and cold spots in your home.
  • Reduced furnace lifespan: The frequent starting and stopping wears out furnace parts, which leads to a shorter lifespan for the unit.

A furnace that’s too small creates the same problems, but for different reasons:

  • Discomfort: A furnace that’s too small will constantly struggle to heat your home to the desired temperature. This means you’ll likely feel greater discomfort.
  • Increased energy bills:& The furnace will run longer to heat your home, which leads to higher energy bills.
  • Wear and tear on your furnace: Longer run times puts extra stress on furnace parts, which could lead to breakdowns and frequent repairs.

Want a furnace recommendation from a pro?

Schedule an appointment today

We’re happy to help! Our team of comfort specialists will perform a heat load calculation to ensure you get the right size furnace for your home.

For more information about what to expect when you hire us, visit our furnace installation page.