Purchasing a new furnace system is one of the biggest decisions most homeowners ever have to face. Happily, once purchased, a new furnace typically lasts for a good 15 years with basic preventative maintenance.

However, in many cases, a home may change hands one or more times before the furnace ever needs replacing... and the homeowner tasked with the challenge may have never researched or selected a new furnace before.

That homeowner could be you, reading this article right now.

If so, we want you to know about a new furnace option that provides more flexibility with fuel choice and more efficiency (thus lower energy bills) than ever before.

This furnace is going to have a number of features that give you a great deal of control over its operation and what you have to spend to stay warm in winter. Read on to learn about the new breed of high-efficiency, dual-fuel furnace you are guaranteed to fall in love with.

Fuel Conversion from Natural Gas to Propane Is Now Possible

Here at Bi-Temp, we are proud to stock, sell, repair, maintain and install the full line of Carrier furnaces.

Carrier is a company at the leading edge of furnace and HVAC technology and offers furnaces for every budget and size of space, as well as every type of heating need.

One of the neatest features that nearly all Carrier furnaces offer is the option of switching from natural gas fuel to propane. 

This innovation was the result of a long-time request from Carrier’s Canadian customers, because fuel prices can and do fluctuate from one province or region to the next, and often from rural to urban areas as well.

While making the switch back and forth between natural gas and propane (or vice versa) is not considered a do-it-yourself task, it is relatively easy and certainly quite affordable to accomplish.

A natural gas Carrier furnace can now run on propane gas as well by replacing burner orifices, installing specialized screws and switches, and making certain of other minor modifications. 

What the Average Homeowner Spends on Heating

Keeping your home warm during our notoriously rough and tumble winter season is one of the biggest expenses of owning a home here in Canada.

Natural Resources Canada (NRC) estimates that a full 61 percent of most homeowners’ typical energy bill is devoted to just one utility: home heating.

To that point, the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario’s (FAO) recent homeowner survey indicates the average household spends about $2,358 per year just on energy.

Sixty-one percent of $2,358 is just over $1,438. That is quite a lot of money to spend just on heating! During some months, heating bills alone can readily top $300.

NOTE: For actual costs, you can use the easy formula of [my annual energy costs] x 0.61 = [my annual heating costs] to adjust the FAO’s numbers.

How Furnace Efficiency Lowers Your Heating Bills

If you have an older furnace that is nearing its less-than-golden years, you may be getting anywhere from 70 to 80 percent energy efficiency.

This is because most older units are equipped with only a single heat exchanger, which means a lot of potentially usable heat gets wasted with every cycle.

New high-efficiency Carrier furnaces are equipped with a secondary heat exchanger, or condenser. This cutting-edge feature is able to recycle otherwise lost heat energy to recapture 10-plus percent of the heat generated from the combustion process itself.

It also brings the efficiency rating up to anywhere from 90 to 98.5 percent for today’s modern furnace.

So what might that look like in terms of energy savings?

We just learned that the typical homeowner spends around $1,438 per year just to run the furnace in winter. Based on this general number, what would you save if you got an extra 10 to 20 percent efficiency from the fuel you are purchasing?

An extra 10 percent efficiency would net you around $144 back in your pocket. An extra 20 percent efficiency would get you to the $288 range – that’s saving almost a full 30 days of heating costs each year!

Meet the New Breed of High-Efficiency Carrier Furnaces

Today’s Carrier natural gas (or propane gas) and oil furnaces are designed with a wide range of homes and homeowners in mind.

But all Carrier furnaces deliver high-efficiency performance to a range of 90 percent to 98.5 percent AFUE (average fuel utilization efficiency).

Carrier’s premium Infinity® series furnaces each feature quiet, multi-stage operation and even home-wide humidity control. Certain models also feature the proprietary Greenspeed™ adaptable modulating gas valve, which can adjust heat output precisely in 1 percent increments (range 40 to 100) to adapt heating needs to seasonal shifts.

Carrier’s mid-range Performance™ series furnaces find the perfect middle ground between premium perks and affordable budget-friendly features. Many models feature Carrier’s proprietary SmartEvap™ and ideal Humidity System® technology to help balance humidity levels seasonally.

Carrier’s budget-range Comfort™ series furnaces provide the perfect blend of economy and efficiency for smaller spaces and smaller budgets. These simpler furnace systems also incorporate many of the latest comfort control features to keep you warm and cozy for years to come.

All three Carrier furnace lines offer the option of customized operation and thermostat control with programmable thermostats.

Get in Touch

Are you ready to upgrade your furnace to a new high-efficiency, fuel-saving model? We can help!

Give us a call at 613-967-1066 or visit us online.