As the days start to cool and night temperatures plummet, the furnace does its job and goes unnoticed. But, if your furnace goes out during the time you need it most, you realize quickly how much it provides comfort and safety for you in your home. Replacing any large appliance or part in the home is best faced with some planning. Saving ahead when you know your furnace is on its last leg can really help you feel prepared for the replacement. So, how do you know when to replace a furnace?
The Furnace Is Getting Old
Nothing lasts forever and this holds true for furnaces. Most furnaces realistically last you 10-15 years. If you take great care of your furnace with filter changes and regularly scheduled maintenance, you might be able to make it last as long as 20 years. While you should care for your furnace to help extend its life, you may find that a newer model will save you enough money to be worth replacing early.
The Furnace Costs Too Much to Fix
When your furnace starts to get old, it gets less and less worth making repairs. On a newer furnace, you might spend up to 50% of a replacement cost on repairs before you would consider just putting in a new furnace. But on an older model, you wouldn’t want to spend $200 on something that is costing you money to run and only has a few years left at best.
The Furnace Costs Too Much to Run
The older models of furnaces are far less efficient than your newer options. You can figure out how much your cost savings will be by checking what efficiency rating your current furnace has. Older models can easily waste upwards of 40% of the gas they pull – leaving you with higher bills and wasting resources. Newer models can be 90-95% efficient and will require less gas each month. If you were changing from a 50% AFUE efficiency furnace to a 95% furnace, you would be saving nearly half your heating bill each month.
Furnace Replacement in Charlotte, NC
Are you looking for regular maintenance for your furnace, need a repair or want to start planning for a new one and live in the Charlotte area? We can help you at Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical, so contact us today!