How Often You Should Replace Your Furnace?

You likely know when you need to replace most items in our home. For example, your heating and cooling system air filter requires monthly replacement. Your pillows should be replaced every couple years. Your smoke detectors must be replaced every decade. But what about your heating equipment?

If your heating system has routine maintenance and is kept in good working order, it can last 12-20 years. Once your heating system reaches 15 years of age , it’s really a good time to start thinking about replacing your heating system with upgraded, more energy-efficient heating equipment. Installed correctly, these high-efficiency heating units can save up to 20% on energy costs. Even if your furnace still seems to be running fine, it’s best to start looking into your options now instead of waiting until your equipment breaks down in the middle of a long freeze and you’re so desperate you can’t properly look into your options. When considering 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 equipment that it’s installed in.

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

Something to take under advisement if your equipment isn’t quite 20 years old and you’re debating replacement is what amount you’re spending on repairing your current system. You can typically repair a furnace – change a part here, fix a section there – but at some point the cost of repairing your heating equipment will be greater than the cost of replacing it and then you really need to think about long-term spending. If you are having to repair your furnace on a yearly basis, it’s probably time to look into replacement.

If you aren’t positive about your furnace’s ability to get you through the freezing temperatures safe and warm, give Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing a call and we’d be happy to go out and inspect your furnace and provide any recommendations. Starting December 1^st, Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing is providing discounts on specific HVAC systems so call us and ask about how much you can save!