by Macy

5 Ways to Make Sure Your Furnace is More Efficient and Less Costly

 

It’s that time of the year to start up our furnaces again and turn off our air conditioner. This is the time when people expect to see their energy bills skyrocket, but that doesn’t need to happen. By knowing your systems efficiency rating, size, age and additional maintenance, you can save your hard earned money. No one should have to sacrifice their warmth for excessive costs. Here are 5 money saving tips for you and your furnace: 

Efficiency

The best way you can save money when using your furnace is to check the efficiency. Many things are included in the efficiency of a furnace including size, age and overall health of the system. When a system is older, it may have a hard time warming your home, thus pulling more energy that will cause our bills to increase. By just running an insufficient furnace, it increases your energy bills up to 40%. 

But how do you know if your furnace is efficient? The answer is to have a furnace tune-up to collect all necessary data. 

Size

Knowing the size of the furnace compared to the size of the home will also play a role in saving money. It goes with efficiency, if an undersized unit is placed, it may not effectively warm the home and this can cause you to constantly leave it running. On the other hand, if the system is too large, it can suck too much energy out without even trying. 

Age 

An average furnace’s lifespan ranges 15-20 years. When the system starts hitting the 20 year mark, it can start to decline in quality. This can result in more maintenance required, running the system more, not warming your home as desired and increased costs. 

Maintenance 

If you have already come to the conclusion that your system is effectively working and is the right size for your home, regular maintenance can also help decrease your monthly energy bills. Regular maintenance includes cleaning any visible dirt or grime, checking the state of the vents, replacing the filter and cleaning any blockages in the vents. According to furnace repair cypress, most people have maintenance issues on furnaces of an older age with blockages. 

It is recommended to have an annual inspection to make sure your furnace is working successfully.This not only will ensure that your system is working properly, but it can also extend its lifespan. 

Money Saving Tips 

Aside from efficiency of the furnace, there are other things you can do to help decrease your energy bills, including:

• Adding insulation
• Seal your windows
• Utilize ceiling fans
• Replace stripping 
• Cleaning the vents 

Consider Upgrading Your System 

At the end of the day, if you are constantly having work done on your system or have tried everything to decrease your energy bills, it may be time to upgrade your system. 

Need help with your furnace? 

To find out if your furnace is working to its full potential, you should call the experts at The Chill Brothers for a free assessment. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does it mean when my furnace has a weird smell?
2. The smell that comes from the furnace can mean multiple things. It can mean you have mold or other bacteria in the vents or that you have a blockage of dust and debris. When the furnace heats up, it can burn all of these things and cause a smell. The best way to get rid of the smell is to have an expert come out and do an assessment of the system.
3. Why is my furnace not heating my whole house?

1. When your furnace is not heating your whole house, it could mean that there is a clogged vent, poor insulation, wrong sized unit, or wrong sized filter. To ensure that you find out what is causing it, you should have someone come out and check it out.