Are you concerned about the reliability and efficiency of your older furnace? If so, you may not realize that investigating your options now can help assure your comfort during the coming cooling season. That’s because your furnace blower is what pushes conditioned air throughout your home both winter and summer. There are some red flags that can indicate a furnace replacement is on the horizon.
- Increasingly noisy operation. Buzzing, rattling, humming and squealing noises can develop as your equipment ages.
- Uneven heating. If some rooms in your home are too warm, but others are too cold, it can mean that your furnace blower is no longer capable of effective air distribution. This can result in an excessively dry living environment in the winter, and high humidity issues in the summer.
- Steadily rising energy costs. If your usage habits haven’t changed, but your monthly utility bills are getting higher, the inefficient operation of your aging furnace may be the culprit.
- Corrosion, dust and dirt. Corrosion on the furnace itself, and/or deposits of soot, rust and dirt on your HVAC vents can point toward serious reliability and safety issues. If the unit’s heat exchanger is corroding, it can develop holes and cracks that allow deadly carbon monoxide (CO) to escape.
- Frequent repair bills. As mechanical equipment ages, a growing number of repairs are inevitable, and so are unexpected failures.
While all of the above are causes for concern, the age of your equipment is the major indicator of what the future holds. If it’s 15 years old or more, you can expect to see a gradual loss of energy efficiency, and reliability. Older furnaces often operate much less efficiently than the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) minimum of 78 percent AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency), so a new furnace could significantly reduce your annual energy consumption. Choosing an Energy Star-rated unit (AFUE 90 percent and above in Southern states) can bring additional energy savings of up to 15 percent, which can help offset the cost of the equipment.
For expert advice on whether a furnace replacement would increase the year-round comfort in your Savannah, Pooler or Bluffton area home, contact us today at McDevitt Air.
