A dated or unproductive furnace must be replaced in order to ensure that your home's temperature remains comfortable during the cold winter months. Installing a new furnace can be stressful, but you should view this process as an opportunity to help make your furnace more energy efficient in the future.

There are a few simple things that you can do during installation to ensure that your home remains comfortable without relying on a furnace that will use up precious energy resources and drive up the cost of your heating bill over time.

1. Install a programmable thermostat.

In addition to investing in a new furnace unit, you should also make the decision to upgrade to a programmable thermostat. If your family is anything like the modern American family, you don't spend a lot of time at home during the week. Employment and school obligations keep people out of the home for large amounts of time.

Having a thermostat that you can program will help you set your furnace for a lower temperature during the times you are out of the house. This prevents your furnace from working to heat an empty home, extending the life of the furnace itself and helping you keep energy consumption (and costs) low.

2. Set up a zoned heating system.

While installing a programmable thermostat is a great start, you can really take your furnace's energy efficiency to the next level by setting up a zoned heating system during the installation of your new furnace unit.

Zoned heating systems allow you to independently control the temperature setting in each part of your home. You likely don't need your guest bedroom or seldom-used basement to stay as warm as your kitchen or bedrooms, so lowering the temperature setting in these areas can help you reduce your energy consumption over time.

3. Repair or replace air ducts.

You should always have your air ducts inspected when installing a new furnace. Since the ducts are responsible for transporting heated air from the furnace to the various rooms in your home, these ducts need to be in good repair.

Leaking or disconnected ducts could allow heated air to escape before it circulates into your home, causing your furnace to have to work harder to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Repairing or replacing faulty air ducts during the installation of a new furnace will extend the life of the appliance and make the furnace more efficient. Visit a site like http://www.alwaysreadyrepair.com/ for more help.