Are you thinking about upgrading your furnace but not quite sure where to begin?

We understand. Furnaces are more efficient than ever, with a plethora of features designed to keep you comfortable. They come in different sizes and shapes, some more powerful than others. They also have different price points based on their efficiency ratings.

The thermostat is the brains of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. But it’s the furnace that provides all the muscle, teaming up with your ductwork to send warm air throughout your Oregon home.

And always remember, a happy home is a warm one! It would only take a few cold days in a row with no indoor heat for all the pipes in your home to freeze.

What matters most is to pick the right furnace that fits your budget and the size of your home. Our team at Day Heating has the knowledge and expertise to help you make that choice. We’re a trusted name in Salem, OR, for creating healthy homes. Give us a call today—we can schedule a free consultation to help with your next home improvement project.

Choosing the Right Furnace by Fuel Type

Your first decision is easy: choosing the fuel type.

The most common source is natural gas. Your local utility company supplies fuel to your home through an underground gas line. The price of natural gas is relatively stable, so you don’t have to worry about cost fluctuations. Plus, you never need to worry about storage.

  • If you have access to a natural gas line, we strongly recommend a gas furnace. These furnaces have proven their value over the years for providing steady comfort on the coldest of days.
  • Oil furnaces are a popular alternative in the United States, particularly in parts of the Northeast that do not have easy access to natural gas. These types of furnaces last longer than gas furnaces but do not operate as efficiently. Oil prices fluctuate more than natural gas prices, making it harder to gauge your monthly expenses. Plus, you will need a storage tank for the oil.
  • Electric furnaces tend to last longer than gas furnaces and cost less to install. On the other hand, they are more expensive to operate and take longer to heat your home. Anyone living in a cold climate would enjoy more comfort with a gas or oil furnace.

Choosing the Right Furnace Speed

Furnaces run at different speeds. The operating speed you choose will impact your comfort, budget, and indoor air quality (IAQ).

Single-stage furnaces have just two settings, on or off. Your furnace switches on and continues to run to reach the desired temperature. Once it reaches the temperature, the furnace turns off. Single-stage furnaces are the most affordable models and easiest to install. But they are the least efficient and tend to create hot and cold spots in larger Salem, OR, area homes.

Two-stage furnaces run at full speed and half speed. This allows your furnace to heat your home more evenly, producing a more consistent temperature from room to room. In addition to producing better heating, the half-speed setting is much quieter.

Variable-speed furnaces are the gold standard of the heating world. These models adjust their speeds to provide precise comfort. They run longer at slower speeds, improving efficiencies while lowering your energy bills. Because they do not frequently cycle on and off, these systems tend to have fewer breakdowns.

Variable-speed furnaces are much more adept in maintaining your indoor air quality, catching harmful particles, and eliminating excess moisture that causes mold growth. Larger homes benefit tremendously from variable-speed furnaces.

Choosing an Efficient Furnace

The AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating on your furnace indicates how much energy it converts. An energy-efficient furnace with an AFUE rating of 95 can convert 95 percent of the energy it consumes into heat.

The higher the AFUE rating, the more money you save on monthly utility bills. Energy-efficient furnaces emit fewer greenhouse gases and make less noise when they operate. If you want to reduce your home’s carbon footprint, the perfect place to start is with your heating and cooling equipment!

How Much Money Can a New Furnace Save You?

Our AFUE energy savings calculator can help determine how much you could save on your utility bills. Enter your current unit’s AFUE value and compare it to a newer, more efficient system.

AFUE Energy Savings Calculator

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This calculator does not guarantee actual costs or savings and is only to be used for educational purposes.

Customize to Your Home

Adjust these settings for a more accurate calculation:

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** Data from U.S. Energy Information Administration
*** Data from 2002 EPA study

** Data for Canadian cities from nrcan.gc.ca
*** Data from weatherdatadepot.com

Furnace Installation or Replacement

Don’t invest in a quality HVAC system and then hire a substandard contractor to install it. You will never enjoy the full benefits of a system installed incorrectly.

At Day Heating, located in Salem, OR, we specialize in installing equipment the right way. We take our time to ensure everything is measured correctly.

Be sure to ask about our convenient financing options designed to make it easy for you to create your dream home.

Furnace Repairs

Odd-sounding noises, a spike in energy bills, or constant cycling—these signs indicate a problem with your furnace. Don’t wait for a minor issue to turn into a costly problem. Give Day Heating a call today if you detect a problem with your HVAC system. We promise never to replace a part unless necessary—or if we can demonstrate significant cost savings.

Furnace Maintenance

Want to get the most value from your HVAC system? Develop a preventative maintenance plan. Doing so can rejuvenate your equipment, increase your comfort, and lower your operating costs.

Call Us Today

Our entire team at Day Heating values the trust you placed in our company—we promise to work extra hard to keep your business. Let us install your next furnace. Give our Salem, OR, office a call today for a free consultation. Call us at 503-363-4822 or request service online today.

Need Furnace Service?

Contact the experts at Day Heating.

Call us at 503-363-4822!

“I've always liked the technicians sent out by Day Heating. They have been servicing my rental for years. Today I had a mystery problem in my own home that was causing the heater not to be able to keep up and my temperatures had continually sank over the preceding days.

They sent out Greg who is a big strong looking guy… like he could carry a couple air conditioners up a hill without a problem. Even with his large stature he crawled back to my in attic furnace and solved the mystery problem. He also fully used the hour to do all of the maintenance he could to make sure it would be a long time before I had to make another call.

I was interested in future work so I grabbed him and he let me babble in circles about a message I wanted taken back to his estimator. From the call I got from the estimator he didn't miss a thing. I'm not an easy guy to listen to. I never land the plain, as my wife says, and and talk in strange ways, according to my sons.

What I've found over the years is that their hourly rate is more than others but they get everything done faster (less hours) and, like Greg today, give you your money's worth.

Thanks for another rescue!

Ken”
- Ken W.

“A big thank you to Day Heating for performing such a great job on my new heating system, and providing such exceptional customer service!

Luke is the estimator who came to my home for my new heating system. He was very professional and stayed connected to the job ensuring everything came together just as expected! Luke also assisted in handling current rebates and walked me through financing.

I really appreciate how uncomplicated he made everything! I feel all my questions and concerns were always very promptly handled all along the way.

Eugene performed the installation of my new heating system. He did an excellent job! He kept all of his work very clean, and I greatly appreciate that!

Throughout the job, I felt a lot of peace of mind knowing I was in great hands with Day Heating! Day Heating takes great ownership of their work and services, and is very professional! I very highly recommend Day Heating’s services to anyone needing a new heating and/or air conditioning system!”


– Cherie H.

'- Cherie H.

“When I shopped around for a new gas furnace and air conditioner, I found that the units from Day Heating and Cooling were slightly the most expensive, but I also got the impression that their service was the best, and for that reason, I bought their units. I’m glad that I did as their service has been both prompt and excellent.” – Charles H.

'- Charles H.

“I am past due in telling you what a great job you and your team did replacing our 22 year old HP system and installing our new heat pump and furnace. Earlier in my career, I was a heat pump installation inspector for an electric utility’s heat pump program. Our job was to insure that the units were installed correctly with proper airflows etc. I was introduced to Day Heating by a Service Tech-Charlie who finally figured out what was wrong with my daughters unit. Charlie was the 1st tech that I had encountered (several other companies had been out under her home warranty program) that 1- actually knew what absolute zero was- he told me (I didn’t bring it up to him), and 2- knew how to actually test the outdoor stat on her unit and determine that was the problem (I had suspected and pointed this out to the other techs). In 2012 I had several companies give me bids for our replacement. YOU were the only one that followed up. In April of 2013 we decided it was time especially with the Federal Rule change regarding gas furnace efficiency. I found your previous emails and contacted you. You promptly responded and came back out to our home to update the bid. We agreed upon the equipment and price on a Monday and work began on Wednesday! Your crews were top notch. On time, neat, knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. The system is QUIET. I have to put my hand over a duct to feel if it is on! It kept us warm during the few cool days in May and has kept us COOL in these 90 degree days that we have had in June. We actually set the temp at 71 on Wed and Thurs because of the humidity. THE UNIT PULLED IT DOWN AND MAINTAINED THAT, even on Friday and Sat. I will let you know how it does in the high 90’s on Sun-Tues. The house is even more comfortable than before. I think the new return and kitchen supply really helped. We are very happy with our purchase.”

– Steve S.