With our cold winter weather, a reliable home heating system is a necessity to ensure the well-being and comfort of your family. If you’re concerned about your system’s reliability, there are certain signs that can warn you that it’s due for replacement. If you’re seeing any of the following indicators, now’s the time to talk to your HVAC contractor about upgrading.
Equipment Age
On average, heating equipment has an expected lifespan of 15–20 years. A heating system gets a lot of use in our climate, so it endures more wear that can shorten its service life. There’s no way to predict exactly how long your equipment will last, but if it’s about 15 years old, replacing it in the near future can help you avoid a sudden failure that leaves you without heat.
Rising Heating Costs
As with all heating and cooling equipment, the efficiency of a furnace starts to decline with age. If you have to dial up the thermostat temperature setting to keep your home comfortable, the furnace cycles on more often and your energy bills are increasing, these are signals that your heating equipment is likely nearing the end of its service life.
Loss of Comfort
The loss of efficiency that occurs as heating equipment ages can make it difficult to keep all the areas of your home comfortably warm. Ductwork that’s poorly designed, leaky or uninsulated can make the situation worse. Installing a new, efficient heating system and replacing your older ductwork may be necessary to improve your wintertime comfort.
Repeated Repair Bills
Just like any other type of mechanical equipment, a heating system tends to break down more frequently as it ages. If you’re seeing an increase in breakdowns and repairs, you’ll need to decide when a replacement is the less costly option. As a general guide, if your 15 year-old furnace needs a repair that’s going to cost more than 1/3 of the price of new equipment, replacing it is the wisest choice.
To explore your options for upgrading the heating system in your Lorain home, contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heating system and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area