Determining When to Retire Your Furnace
Now may be the time to replace your furnace with a high efficiency system. There are many factors to consider when thinking about replacing your older furnace system.
Has your furnace reached “retirement age”?
Furnaces last an average of 18-20 years, depending on whether they have been professionally maintained or not. Age isn’t everything, though. The cost to keep the furnace running will give you additional concrete reasons to consider replacing vs. repairing.
Increased cost and frequency of furnace repairs
Like an old car, an old furnace that requires costly repairs is signaling that it’s near the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced soon. The question then is, “How expensive does a furnace repair need to be before it’s not worth it?” Even for less expensive repairs, depending upon how old your furnace is, you should consider replacement vs. repair.
Your heating bills have risen dramatically over the years
Even if your furnace has a few years left in it, it may not be cost efficient to keep it if your energy bills during the heating season are high due to the furnace’s poor efficiency. A new law is expected to provide significant savings for homeowners by cutting the electricity consumption of furnace fans. After July 3, 2019, residential furnace manufacturers must include energy-efficient electronically commutated motors (ECM’s) on their furnace fans, which are expected to save homeowners billions of dollars on electricity bills and reduce carbon pollution. ECM motors will also keep occupants more comfortable, too. First, they provide more efficient airflow. Second, they reduce temperature swings in the home by allowing the fan to run for a longer time at a reduced speed. You need to assess how much it’s costing you just to keep the current furnace you have versus how much you’ll save on a new furnace. The Energy.gov AFUE chart can do just that, and we will help you decrypt it.
Weigh the factors together
As you can see, none of these factors (age, cost to repair, energy efficiency) alone can tell you if you need to replace your furnace. They should be weighed together. To help you make the best choice possible, Anthony Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric will help you assess whether you should replace your furnace or not. Call us at A-N-T-H-O-N-Y 268-4669 (913) or (913). For more information on furnace replacement read our blog: Eight Things You Should Know Before Replacing Your Furnace.