My house is equipped with a forced air gas furnace that is nearly twenty years old. Despite keeping up with air filter changes and annual professional maintenance, I’ve noticed that it’s beginning to wear out. The heater definitely needs to run longer to maintain a comfortable temperature and really struggles on especially cold nights. My monthly energy bills have gradually increased. The furnace made a lot more noise than it used to and has started to spread dust throughout the house. I’m concerned that the heating system is turning into a safety and health risk. I’m always worried that it’s going to fail in the middle of winter, when I need it most. I live in an area that often experiences sub zero temperatures and going without heat is not an option. Rather than be in a rush to get a new system installed during a blizzard, I’d like to schedule the project during the off-season. I’ve started doing some research online. I’ve looked into the different manufacturers and models of furnaces and read customer reviews. Furnaces have certainly come a long way over the last twenty years. Where my current furnace is only capable of operating at one speed, modern alternative automatically adjust capacity to meet the changing demands of the home. These systems are able to run anywhere between 40 and 100% capacity and achieve up to 98% AFUE ratings. They also offer the perks of zone control, advanced safety features, multi-stage filtration and wifi connectivity. While the price of these sophisticated heating systems is quite high, the reduction of my monthly utility bills will help to recover the investment.