11 Fun Furnace Facts

Gas furnaces have kept families and businesses comfortable for over 100 years in America. They continue to do so today, as roughly half the homes in the U.S. use a gas furnace.

Do you need an HVAC company to install, repair, or service your furnace? Contact a nearby Carrier® Factory Authorized Dealer in your area and choose from the best heating and cooling equipment made in the USA. We provide heating and cooling services to homes and businesses in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas.

In the meantime, here are 11 fun facts about our favorite household appliance: the furnace!

  1. One of America’s Founding Fathers kept warm with a furnace. The first White House heating system, a Pettibone furnace, was installed in 1801 when James Madison, our nation’s fourth president, was in office.
  2. We make a lot of furnaces in America. The Carrier factory in Indianapolis is one of the largest gas furnace plants in the world, with close to 550,000 square feet.
  3. A gas furnace has three really important parts. You have the burner that creates heat. The heat exchanger separates out the combustion gas, creating breathable air. And the blower sends the conditioner air through the duct system.
  4. The Greeks came up with the word furnace. The name comes from the Latin word “fornax,” which means oven.
  5. Ancient Rome used furnaces. The Romans created a heating system called a “hypocaust” that used a furnace to pump heated air through the walls and floors of a building.
  6. Did someone say heat pumps? Heat pump sales in the U.S. outsold furnaces for the first time ever in 2022. Annual heat pumps sales in America topped four million units.
  7. You can enjoy a terrific federal tax credit on high-efficiency furnaces. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), save up to 30 percent (up to $600) on a qualifying gas furnace under section 25(C). And the best part? The tax credit is in place through 2032.
  8. How hot do furnaces get? The supply plenum of a standard gas furnace can reach 170 degrees Fahrenheit. High-efficiency furnaces don’t run quite as hot, reaching 140 degrees.
  9. Furnaces have rating systems. The annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) measures how efficiently a furnace converts fuel to heat. High-efficiency furnaces will have an AFUE rating of at least 90 percent.
  10. Natural gas remains the most affordable source of energy. The National Energy Assistance Director Association (NEADA) lists natural gas as the cheapest form of energy in 2023, followed by electricity and heating oil.
  11. Carrier manufactures one of the most efficient furnaces in the world! The Infinity® 98 furnace is the most advanced Carrier furnace ever made. Enjoy a heater with a 98.5 percent AFUE rating for premium energy savings. This is the most efficient furnace Carrier makes.

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