Is it inefficient that my furnace is located outside in the cold?

[WoundedEgo]

I moved into an apartment building and my natural gas furnace is located in an unheated room connected to the patio. It is obviously very cold in that room. It has a door with louvers. Everything is cold to the touch. I can't tell that the furnace is generating any heat because if I put my hand on the furnace it is freezing cold to the touch. My apartment is heating okay but I'm inclined to think the arrangement is terribly inefficient and costly. Also, the blower and ducting for the return is in that room as well and it is freezing cold to the touch as well and when the furnace is not running cool air comes in the apartment from the return.

Should I cover everything with insulation on the outside?

The apartment gets warm enough but I notice that if I put my hand on the vent when the unit is running the air being blown into the apartment feels like it is room temperature at best, not noticeably warmer as I might expect.

Please advise. Thanks!

 

[HVAC_Marc]

it's not less efficient but it will cost more to operate due to it not being at 'room temperature'. residential furnaces are not designed to be operated when at a temp of less than 50 degrees F (unless they are outdoor packaged units which are not generally installed on a porch). chronic operation at these temperatures will severely stress the heat exchanger and will cause premature failure.

 

[WoundedEgo]

Hey, thanks for the response. Well it turns out the thing isn't working now! Maybe they'll replace it. For now I'm relying on space heaters.