How Often You Should Replace Your Furnace?
You may know when you need to replace most things in our home. For example, your heating and air conditioning system air filter needs to be replaced monthly. Your pillows need to be replaced every two years. Your smoke detectors need to be replaced every ten years. But what about your furnace?
If your heating equipment has routine maintenance and is kept in good working order, it can last 15-20 years. Once your heating equipment reaches 15 years of age , it’s probably a good time to start thinking about replacing your heating system with upgraded, more energy-efficient heating equipment. Installed correctly, these high-efficiency heating systems can save up to 20% on utility costs. Even if your heating equipment still seems to be working fine, it’s ideal to start looking now instead of waiting until your furnace breaks down in the middle of a deep freeze and you’re so desperate you can’t properly look into your options. When contemplating new furnace options it’s also crucial to consider your home’s air duct system. Leaking and undersized ducts can seriously affect your home’s overall comfort and energy efficiency. A new heating system is only as good as the duct system that it’s installed in.
Another reason to research ahead of time is to see what tax credits and manufacturer rebates are available to you. Right now, you can get U.S. government tax credits of up to $500 for certain heating and air conditioning equipment – but it’s only through the end of 2016 and hasn’t been confirmed past 12/31/16. Visit this link to help find local rebates available in your community : https://www.energystar.gov/rebate-finder.
One thing to take under advisement if your furnace isn’t quite 20 years old and you’re contemplating replacement is how much you’re spending on repairing your current system. You can usually repair a heating system – swap out a part here, fix a section there – but at some point the cost of repairing your furnace will be greater than the cost of replacing it and that’s when you really need to examine long-term spending. If you are repairing your furnace each season, it’s probably time to think about replacement.
If you aren’t sure about your heating system’s ability to get you through the winter safe and cozy, give Church Services a call and we’d be happy to come out and inspect your system and provide any recommendations. Starting December 1st, Church Services is providing discounts on specific home comfort systems so call us and find out how much you can save!