Choosing The Right Furnace For Your Tiny House

Choosing The Right Furnace For Your Tiny House

5 January 2016
 Categories: Construction & Contractors, Blog


With the cost of real estate increasing, many people are turning to tiny houses as a way to save money on their living expenses. If you are thinking of investing in the construction of your own tiny house, it's important that you take the time to carefully consider your options when it comes to installing a furnace.

Here are three tips you can use to make sure that you choose the right furnace for your tiny house in the future.

1. Estimate how powerful your furnace needs to be prior to installation.

To ensure that you are able to keep your tiny house a comfortable temperature during the cooler months, you must have a furnace with enough power to heat your living space. Since you won't need a furnace as powerful as a traditional home due to the decreased square footage in a tiny home, it can be beneficial to estimate the number of BTUs your furnace must produce to heat your space.

Online calculators that take into account the quality of your tiny home's insulation and the total square footage of your living space will provide you with an estimate you can use to purchase a furnace with enough power to heat your tiny home.

2. Be sure your furnace is vented.

As you consider your options when it comes to installing a furnace in your tiny house, it's important that you ensure your final selection is a vented furnace. Since a newly-constructed tiny house will be fairly airtight, there is little chance for fresh air to come into your home.

If your furnace is not vented to the exterior of your home, dangerous carbon monoxide gas could begin to deplete oxygen levels inside your living space. A vented furnace might be a little more expensive, but the safety features make the added expense a worthwhile investment.

3. Look for the most compact furnace available. 

Square footage is at a premium in a tiny house, with the typical tiny house being between 100 and 400 square feet total. With such a limited amount of room to work with, you don't want to compromise too much living space just to install a furnace.

Be sure that you are looking for the smallest, most compact furnace available in your price range to ensure that your heating appliance won't take up too much room once it has been installed.

Selecting the right furnace for your tiny house is an important decision. Be sure to consider how many BTUs you will need to heat your living space, find a furnace that is vented, and invest in a compact unit, and you will be on your way to successfully heating your tiny home. Use resources like http://www.nathansheatandair.com/ for more help along the way.