So you nursed that aging furnace through another winter. You give yourself a pat on the back and hope you’ll never have to go through that again. Meanwhile, you suspect things will only get worse.

Like any mechanical equipment, furnaces have a finite life span. With each heating season, the time to decide on replacement draws inexorably closer. The tipping point occurs when the decline in efficiency plus the frequency of service calls begins to exceed the replacement cost of a new, more efficient unit averaged over its life span. The trick is to upgrade before you’ve poured more money into a losing cause, and the off-season can be an excellent time to get a deal on a new high-efficiency system.

Here are a few considerations to help you make that call.

  • Age – The average functional life of a furnace is approximately approximately 20 years. That’s the figure for how long it will keep a flame burning and blow hot air. But most furnaces reach the end of their efficiency life span by 15 years. There’s more than just wear and tear involved: Given the pace of innovation, by the time a unit is 15 years old, upgrade is usually warranted to benefit from cost-saving technology introduced after it was manufactured.
  • Efficiency – Like 10 miles-per-gallon automobiles, furnaces with energy ratings below 70 percent were once acceptable, even desirable. That was many energy price hikes ago. Today, furnaces with efficiencies as high as 97 percent are a reality.
  • Sizing – You’ve made energy-saving improvements—sealed air leaks, serviced ducts, added insulation—to bring your home into the 21st century. Yet, you’re still using heating equipment that was sized for your home during the 1990s. An improperly-sized, energy-wasting and aging furnace can negate many of the gains from improving your home’s efficiency.
  • Constant repairs – An outmoded furnace incurs the most service calls during the last two years of its life cycle—usually expensive “emergency” calls. An aging furnace often requires costly and scarce replacement components. Shortening that high-service period by upgrading sooner rather than later makes financial sense.

Around The Clock Heating & Air Conditioning has kept Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley residents comfortable with sales and service since 1967. Whether you’re ready to upgrade that aging furnace—or just beginning to think about it—we’re ready to respond. Just give us a call today!

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Around the Clock Air Conditioning & Heating services Los Angeles, North Hollywood and the surrounding areas in California. Visit our website to see our current specials and get started today!