How Often You Should Replace Your Furnace?

You likely know when it’s time to replace most items in our home. For example, your heating and cooling system air filter needs to be replaced monthly. Your pillows need to be replaced every two years. Your smoke detectors must be replaced every decade. But what about your heating system?

If your furnace has yearly maintenance and is kept in good working order, it can last 10-20 years. Once your furnace reaches 15 years of age , it’s likely a good time to start thinking about replacing your heating equipment with a new, more energy-efficient furnace. Installed properly, these high-efficiency heating units can save up to 20% on utility costs. Even if your heating system still seems to be running fine, it’s better to start looking into your options now instead of waiting until your furnace breaks down in the middle of a terrible freeze and you’re so desperate you can’t properly look into your options. When contemplating new furnace options it’s also critical to think about your home’s air duct system. Leaking and undersized ducts can seriously affect your home’s overall comfort and energy efficiency. A new furnace is only as good as the air duct system that it’s installed in.

Another reason you need to research ahead of time is to see what tax and manufacturer rebates are available to you. Currently, you can earn U.S. government tax credits of up to $500 for qualifying heating and cooling equipment – but it’s only until the end of 2016 and hasn’t been verified past 12/31/16. Visit this link to help locate local rebates available in your region : https://www.energystar.gov/rebate-finder.

Something to take under advisement if your furnace isn’t quite 20 years old and you’re on the fence about replacement is how much you’re spending on fixing your current furnace. You can usually repair heating equipment – replace a part here, fix a piece there – but in the end the cost of repairing your heating system will be greater than the cost of replacing it and at that point you really need to think about long-term spending. If you are repairing your furnace on a yearly basis, it’s probably time to think about replacement.

If you aren’t confident about your heating equipment’s ability to get you through the cold season safe and cozy, give Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing a call and we’d be happy to come out and inspect your furnace and provide any options. Starting December 1^st, Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing is providing discounts on specific heating and cooling systems so give us a call and ask about how much you can save!