Are your feet always cold? Do you wear a sweater to bed? You may be wondering how you know when it’s time to replace your furnace. Here are 3 simple tests to see if it’s time for a replacement.
1. The Sock Test: Are Your Feet Warm?
Socks are meant to be worn with shoes, so if you have to wear socks on your bare feet inside your house, it is a sign your furnace isn’t as effective as it could be.
You may even have cold spots in your home, indicating that your furnace is too small for your house.
Some homeowners buy an oversized furnace to solve this problem of inconsistent temperatures. While good-intentioned, this mistake means a larger upfront cost in a furnace that will cycle on and off more frequently, wasting energy and putting more wear and tear on parts than necessary.
We have a better method to keep your feet warm and your wallet full: a custom fit.
When one of the High Efficiency Cooling & Heating home comfort consultant visits your home for a complimentary assessment and quote, you’ll discover the exact size and type of furnace you need based on our regional climate and the size, design, and construction of your house.
No over-buying. No under-heating. Just a warm, comfortable home all winter long.
2. The Shock Test: Do You Have to Sit Down Before You Open Your Utility Bill?
Low-priced furnaces may seem like a bargain when you purchase them, but the monthly utility bills quickly eat up any savings.
Today, natural gas prices are rising, in part due to the decline of coal, and in part due to Ontario’s cap-and-trade plan of 2017 (which estimates a $156 annual increase for the average household).
Natural gas prices are not predicted to drop anytime soon, so that means your utility bill will continue to shock you every month if you don’t invest in an energy efficiency furnace.
Always look for the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) score to get the best heat delivery and lowest energy costs for your home. The higher the score, the more efficient the furnace.
And that means lower utility bills for you without having to sacrifice your family’s comfort.
3. The Rock Test: Is Your Furnace as Old as the Earth?
Furnaces are generally meant to last 15-20 years. In terms of reliability, Carrier is the leader of the pack. However, even an old Carrier furnace should be considered for replacement because of advances in furnace technology.
Consider that a furnace installed in 1985 had a 60% efficiency rating.
When natural gas prices were lower (and there were no better options), this wasn’t an issue for most homeowners.
Today, you can’t buy a furnace in Canada that has less than a 78% rating, nor would you want to with rising natural gas prices!
In addition, the older your furnace, the more you’ll pay in service costs—sometimes spending what it would cost for a brand-new furnace in the span of just a couple of years.
And Murphy’s Law applies here, too: If your furnace is going to go out, it will not happen at 8 a.m. on a cool autumn morning when you just need a jacket to stay warm. Your furnace will go out on December 31 at midnight during a snowstorm.
That’s just the way it happens. Better to replace your aging furnace before it drains your wallet or breaks down during dangerous conditions.
