We are proud to be a Trane Comfort Specialist™, which means we are committed to the best in every aspect of this business, from installation and service, to customer satisfaction and employee training.  We are also the only TCS dealer in Whatcom and Skagit Counties!

In the Northwest, a gas furnace is the most common element of a forced-air system, and they differ in three major ways: efficiency, stages of heat, and blower fans.

Efficiency of a furnace is designated by its AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency), ranging from 80% to 95+%.  That means for every dollar you spend for gas or propane, 80 to 95 cents are turned into heat for your home and the rest is exhausted outside.  In most cases an 80% furnace can be replaced by a high efficient furnace, however it can depend on where the furnace is located in your home.  Most high efficient furnaces qualify for energy rebates and federal tax credits!

It used to be that furnaces just came in one stage of heat: it was all on, or all off (called a single stage), a lot of times causing the center of the house to be warm, but other rooms in the house would feel cold.  Now furnaces can be installed that have two or more stages, first starting on low, and then moving to high when needed.  The benefit is even temperatures through the house, and greater comfort.

People don't often think much about their blower fans, yet they are one of the most important pieces of the system; they deliver your heating and cooling throughout your whole home.  Too big of a fan and your drapes are blowing in the breeze, too small and you can't warm up the corners of the house.  There are two major types of blower fans: standard speed, and variable speed.  A variable speed fan is high-efficient, and is designed to run gently even when the furnace isn't heating.  The advantages of this are many, including lower electric bills, more even temperatures, and constant air filtration.

Furnaces don't have to use gas to heat, and also come as all electric.  Their efficiencies don't vary, though they can come installed with a variable speed blower fan like the gas furnaces do.  A higher efficient solution for electric furnaces is replacing them with an electric air handler and installing an electric heat pump system - one of the most efficient systems out there to heat your home!