We know that not everyone may need a new furnace right now, but it’s wise to learn the keys that would impact your decision when you do need to buy a new one. Below are five considerations that Kingston Home Services by Enercare advises our customers to think about during their evaluation:
1. Heating Repair Frequency
Just like any appliance, as furnaces age, the likeliness of heating repairs increase. If your furnace is over 15 years old, you might start to experience relatively expensive repairs. Costly, yet typical repairs include blower motor failures, ignition control failures and heat exchanger failures.
2. Operational Cost
The efficiency of gas furnaces in Kingston area homes today can vary widely and has a direct correlation to the amount of money you pay your utility company each month. Furnaces older than 15 years can be very inefficient, wasting up to 40% of the dollars you spend to heat your home. Even newer furnaces can waste up to 20%.
3. System Maintenance
A properly maintained furnace will function more efficiently, decrease the likelihood of expensive repairs and most importantly ensure your safety. After all, these are gas-fired appliances. Another point to mention is a properly maintained furnace will last longer before replacement is needed.
4. Tune-up Checks
Kingston Home Services by Enercare hears many questions relating to what really can be done to tune-up or maintain a furnace and there are actually many vital checks and calibrations in the process:
- Gas Pressure and gas valve calibration
- Cleaning and checking safety switches
- Cleaning the heat exchanger
- Inspecting the heat exchanger for dangerous conditions
- Cleaning the blower system
- Cleaning and replacement of worn ignition sensors
- Others...
5. HVAC Maintenance Interval
A trained and certified HVAC specialist who has the knowledge, skills and experience to perform a tune-up must maintain heating equipment once a year. To put it bluntly, without routine maintenance, frequent repairs combined with dated equipment are a couple of the more obvious indicators of a need to replace your furnace.
Excessive energy costs and the desire to reduce energy consumption are also compelling reasons to weigh the replacement of your furnace. In fact, an independent study by Decision Analyst suggested nearly 20% of homeowners who recently replaced their furnace specifically did so to lower their utility bills.
Kingston area homeowners seeking more information are urged to call Kingston Home Services by Enercare at 613-817-1591.