Time for a New Furnace?

Summer’s winding down. Soon temperatures will drop, leaves will change color, and winter will arrive. While the snow and cold may be the furthest thing from your mind while you squeeze in one more trip to the cabin or spin around the lake in the pontoon, now is the perfect time to think about keeping your family comfortable this winter. It’s important to call for Scheduled Preventative Maintenance for your heating system – before winter arrives – especially if it’s time for a new furnace.

Replacing your furnace is a big decision, one that can result in a significant investment. Here are a few factors to consider:

• Age of your System: It’s important to know the age of your system. On average, furnaces have a lifespan of 18-20 years, and by this time, the efficiency of the unit has degraded significantly. Proper maintenance performed by professional HVAC technicians can extend the life of your system; even with regular maintenance, after 15 or 16 years, it may be time to start considering furnace replacement options.
• Increasing Heating Bills: A decrease in efficiency as your system ages results in an increase in heating bills, even for the same usage. While the upfront replacement cost may seem steep, a new, energy-efficient system will save you more in the long run.
• Cost and Frequency of Repair: If your system requires frequent or costly repairs, it may be nearing the end of its lifecycle. A good rule of thumb: replace the unit if a repair will cost more than 50% of the replacement.
• Energy Efficiency: The efficiency of a furnace is indicated by its annual utilization efficiency (AFUE) rating, a thermal measure of energy output to energy input. For example, a furnace with a 92% AFUE outputs 92 BTUs of useful heating for every 100 BTUs of natural gas input. The higher the AFUE percentage, the higher the efficiency of the unit. Advances in heating technology have resulted in the manufacture of today’s highly efficient furnace systems.