WHY THE MOST EFFICIENT FURNACE MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST.

Is the most efficient furnace the best one to buy? During my research in August of 2009, I discovered it isn't always so. Consequently, I bought a mid efficiency furnace instead of a high efficiency model.

When I Googled high efficiency furnaces complaints, I found a number of disturbing stories. Several people wrote that these much-touted machines actually stopped working in extreme cold conditions. Since I live in Alberta where temperatures of minus thirty are sometimes the norm in winter, I realized that an iced-up furnace would be a huge liability.

The Province of Alberta, in whatever they use for brains, decided unilaterally to ban mid efficiency furnaces in 2010. Though I hate being stampeded into purchases, I realized that I'd better get a mid efficiency furnace before the January first ban.

After a local company installed my new furnace and took the old model away, I hoped the purchase I made was a good one.

I almost panicked when the weather was cold enough to run the furnace. Instead of the usual hot air coming out of the vents, a lukewarm breeze flowed out. I called the company to ask why my new furnace was working so poorly. The installer said it takes in outside air and combines that with indoor air. The heat exchanger also removes heat from the air before blowing it outside.

Though I miss having hot air warm up the house quickly, the mid efficiency furnace has worked without a hitch for the three winters I used it. August is a good time to have the furnace checked and change the filter. Waiting until it breaks down during a cold snap is foolish. As I've learned, repair people seem busiest during the times when furnaces choose to quit. The money spent on getting a check-up in the summer is worth the peace of mind later.

Though the summer reading season is almost over, perhaps you might like something to read during the autumn. Visit Bruce Atchison's books and read about my first two memoirs. I published a third one recently called How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity. Please check it out at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Virtual Bookworm.