• One possible furnace malfunction is a blown or faulty electrical connection.electric meter can image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
  
  There are several reasons why an electric furnace may fail to function properly. Most of the common malfunctions are easy to diagnose yourself, although some may require a professional repair technician to resolve. Start by examining the cheapest and easiest problems to fix, then work towards the more complex issues. This will save you money by not having to rely on expensive servicemen.
  
  

Thermostat

• The first thing to check if an electric furnace is not coming on when it should is the thermostat. The simplest possible culprit could be a thermostat that's simply set too low. Or the thermostat may have malfunctioned and is not sending the proper message to the furnace. A dirty thermostat could also result in inaccurate information being sent to the furnace, thus preventing the blower from engaging.
  
  

Power Supply

• Another possible reason for a furnace to not kick on is a blown circuit breaker. The main circuit breaker for an electric furnace is in your home's fuse box. Because furnaces draw a lot of power, they are usually on their own breaker. If the main breaker for the furnace seems fine, check the furnace itself. Some electric furnaces have a separate fuse panel located right on the unit. One of these fuses could be faulty.
  
  

Blower

• Another reason for a furnace not to turn on is if the blower motor is not functioning properly. Furnace blowers often plug in separately from the furnace, so even if the furnace has power, the blower motor could be unplugged or on a separate fuse. To verify if the blower works, adjust the thermostat so that the furnace kicks on, then check the blower to ensure that it is running. If the blower motor runs continuously, the blower may be clogged. In this case, both the furnace and blower may be running, but no hot air will be circulated.
  
  

Heating Elements

• It is also possible that the heating coils inside the furnace are not heating up. When this occurs, typically both the furnace and the blower will run, but will blow cold air rather than warm air. To check this, place your hand in front of the vents. If you feel cold air, the heating coils are most likely inoperable.