When buying a house, you have all sorts of important matters to contend with, and one of the main ones is assessing what sort of HVAC system will provide comfort in your prospective new home.
The rest of the house may be perfect, but if the cooling and heating system has problems, you may end up paying in loss of comfort, high repair or replacement costs, and/or high energy bills.
Here are some questions to ask about the HVAC system you’ll be inheriting when buying a house:
How old is the home’s existing cooling and heating system? Clearly, you want to avoid investing in a new home that has a furnace, A/C or heat pump that’s on its last legs. The central HVAC system should be no more than 10 years old, and preferably new or nearly so. If a house you like does have an aging cooling or heating system, consider using that as a negotiating point. Avoid homes that use room or portable cooling or heating units instead of a central HVAC system.
Are maintenance and service records available for the HVAC system? Without knowledge of the equipment’s history of professional maintenance and repairs, you really don’t know what you’re getting. If the equipment hasn’t been properly maintained, it likely will require lots of repairs before arriving at a premature end of its service life.
Are energy bills available for the past year or two? This should give you an idea of the equipment’s energy efficiency. If the bills seem unusually high for the size of house or your area’s climate, it could be because the equipment doesn’t consume electricity and/or fuel efficiently. High energy bills also could be a result of a poorly sealed or insulated house.
Is the house properly weatherized? Have a trusted HVAC technician inspect the home to make sure it’s tightly sealed and has the right type and amount of insulation.
For more advice on assessing the HVAC system when buying a house, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning. We provide quality HVAC services in the Lorain area.
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 buying a new home 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