Air handlers and furnaces aren't often installed in the same home in Austin. If you use a furnace, you most likely don't need to spend time thinking about an air handler.
Air handlers are typically linked with heat pumps and deliver airflow across your residence. Some models also offer extra heating and cooling components to support the heat pump.
A furnace works differently by blowing warm air into your vents, which circulate it around your home. As furnaces have combustion chambers to produce hot air, they don't use some of the components you'll spot in a regular air handler.