F O RC E D - A I R H E AT
ago, it's more than likely the homeowner will have changed his windows in that time, or gotten new doors, maybe added insulation," Bouchard said. Of the last one—added insula- tion—Bouchard said, "That alone would require a smaller heat load." In addition, if the existing unit is 65 percent to 70 percent efficient and the new unit is going to be 95 percent efficient, "the nozzle size needs to be decreased quite a bit," Bouchard said. The Paradigm, manufactured by Granby Furnaces Inc.,
Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, which is owned by Granby Industries, is 95 percent efficient. Greater efficiency units in general offer multiple significant
advantages to the homeowner, Bouchard said. He contrasted them with conventional, or older, equipment. If, for example, a homeowner had a unit that was 70 percent
efficient and it had a gallon-per-hour nozzle, Bouchard said, "The actual heat going into the house would be equivalent to a .70 nozzle. That means you're losing 30 percent of your efficiency out of the flue." In the case of a Paradigm, using the same calculations, a .65
nozzle could now be the correct size, Bouchard said. "So, it's using a lot less fuel."
Even if the homeowner plans to sell the house in a few years'
time, a case can be made for investing in a higher-efficiency unit, Bouchard said. "One of the things I always use as a selling point is the fuel
savings in going from a 20-year-old furnace to a brand new con- densing furnace," Bouchard said, a change that can yield savings of up to 50 percent on fuel. "It's a short-term payback. Easily five years or less." Having such a unit can make the house more competitive in the real estate market, Bouchard added. "The value of that furnace in that home increases the value against any other oil-heated home," Bouchard pointed out. "If you have a choice of the same home with an old furnace versus a home with a new furnace it should be a no-brainer." The technology inside a new condensing furnace increases the
comfort factor in a home by multiples, Bouchard said. "They're much quicker to react to the call for heat. On an old furnace you probably have to wait three minutes before you start to get some hot air out of the registers. All that time that you're burning oil without getting hot air out of the registers—that heat is going out the flue." With the Paradigm, the blower begins sending hot air out of the registers within 30 seconds, Bouchard said. "All of the Granby
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