Hello Small House Enthusiasts!

Well, we're now in the throes of winter (for most of us, at least) and probably wondering if your heating system can manage to keep up with the cold. Maybe you've noticed your furnace kick in more than you think it should, or for just a few minutes at a time. Or you're a tad concerned about the creaks coming from the aged beast in the basement and thinking that it's time for a replacement.

A friend recently alerted me to a couple websites that can help answer those concerns:

1) Is my furnace big enough (or too big) to efficiently heat my house?: www.hvac-for-beginners.com/load-calculation.html

and

2) Is it cost effective at this time to replace my old furnace with a newer, more efficient model?: www.magma.ca/~urbship/gasfurnace.html

These are a couple great resources to get you started in the right direction in answering these questions. And sometimes it's money well spent to hire a professional heating and cooling person to come into your dwelling and do an accurate analysis-- it could save you money down the road!

'Til next time, keep toasty out there :)

peace and prosperity,
Anne Lupton
p.s. here another couple related resources, too: www.yourmoneypage.com/energy/furnace1.php and www.tombling.com/heaters/heatloss.htm.