With winter temperatures as low as 16 degrees Fahrenheit, you need a reliable and efficient way to heat your Farmington Hills, MO home. Among the best strategies for preventing dangerous heating emergencies and exorbitant energy bills is replacing aging heating equipment before it fails outright.
If your current furnace has already supplied over two decades of service, now is an excellent time to install a new one. Replacing a furnace that’s 20 years old or older can save you money, limit your stress, and keep your living space warm, safe, and comfortable all winter long. Read on to find out why.
Furnace Efficiency Declines as the Years Go By
All furnaces sold and installed throughout the country come with annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) ratings. AFUE ratings denote how much of the fuel that furnaces consume is converted into heat energy. For instance, if your furnace has an AFUE rating of 85%, it converts 85% of the gas or heating oil that it burns into heat. The rest is lost as exhaust gases due to incomplete combustion.
However, new furnaces only operate at their stated levels of efficiency for limited periods. As residential heating equipment sustains ongoing, cumulative wear, it becomes progressively less efficient. In fact, some HVAC equipment loses nearly half of its efficiency after just 10 years of service.
Not only are age-related efficiency losses costly for consumers, but they’re also taxing on the natural environment. When fuel-combustion appliances lose efficiency, they produce more harmful emissions during operation even as they use more fuel and produce less heat.
You’re Missing Out on the Latest Innovations
Over the last several decades, a lot has happened in the heating and cooling industry. Furnaces can now be seamlessly integrated with home automation systems. Many also come with multiple smart features and capabilities of their own.
You can choose from highly efficient hybrid models that include both fuel-burning furnaces and electric heat pumps, high-efficiency furnaces with two heat exchangers and AFUE ratings of up to 98.5%, units with enhanced safety features, and furnaces with variable speed fans among many other things.
Although your 20-year-old furnace might continue heating your home, it cannot necessarily do so effectively or efficiently. You’re missing out on the enhanced convenience of remote monitoring and management, cleaner indoor air, and much more.
Taking advantage of modern innovations in heating equipment isn’t just about making your life easier and your overhead costs lower. It’s also about keeping your property on par with current market standards. If you ever decide to sell or refinance your home, buyers, lenders, and assessors will compare it to comparable properties in your neighborhood. If your neighbors have smart, modern, and highly efficient heating equipment, your home could have a lower resale value and less marketability overall.
Your Indoor Air Quality Will Improve
All residential heaters require regular filter changes and annual maintenance from licensed HVAC companies. These efforts keep furnaces running as they should. They also promote higher indoor air quality (IAQ). However, although HVAC technicians clean heaters both inside and out during annual maintenance, aging furnaces can still harbor a fair amount of trapped debris.
Over the years, these tacky, stubborn build-ups have had an increasing effect on the health of conditioned air. With a new furnace, you might find that you and other building residents sneeze less, deal with less nasal and sinus irritation, sleep better, and enjoy your home more.
20-Year-Old Furnaces Are Prone to Experiencing Regular Problems
HVAC equipment tends to experience the most problems during the last two years of its service life. Enjoying 20 years of relatively problem-free furnace operation doesn’t mean that the road ahead will be easy. You could find yourself paying for major fixes frequently. Putting a new furnace in now will spare you the effects of dangerous, mid-season breakdowns. You’ll also have more cash to invest in other home repairs or improvements.
Your Warranty Protections Are Gone
Most furnace manufacturers issue limited parts warranties that last between five and 10 years. Many also provide 10 to 20-year heat exchanger warranties. These guarantees cover all replacements and repairs resulting from incorrect assembly, shoddy workmanship, and defective parts.
A high-quality and still-active warranty is a good reason to hang onto a functioning furnace after 15 years of service despite considerable losses in efficiency. But, once your furnace’s warranty has expired, you’ll have to contend with recurring problems and regular out-of-pocket spending, and you’re likely better off replacing it.
Heating Emergencies Put Your Plumbing System in Danger
install
When people think of heating emergencies, they often think of intolerably cold indoor conditions and a heightened potential for frostnip, hypothermia, and other temperature-related health issues. However, if the interior of your home gets too cold, you could also contend with frozen and ruptured pipes at the interior and exterior of the building.
Having your heating system fail when the outside temperature is below freezing can lead to thousands of dollars in urgent plumbing repairs. It’s far cheaper to simply replace your aging furnace before it ends its lifespan.
Streamline Your Entire HVAC System
You could be excited to take advantage of the latest HVAC system technologies. If you’re interested in zoning your home for customized comfort and efficiency, it may be best to start with new heating equipment first. New furnaces are more compatible with advanced zone control systems and smart thermostats that support zoning. You’ll get better performance, greater added value, and a more flexible range of options for temperature control and energy management.
Get Rid of Hot and Cold Spots in Your Home
Central heating systems create a single, uniform temperature throughout entire buildings. As they age, they lose their ability to do so. If you have areas of your home that never get quite warm enough, replacing your furnace could be the key to eliminating hot and cold spots.
Enjoy Whisper-Quiet Operation
Older furnaces are often noisy. If your furnace regularly jolts you awake at night, interrupts quiet conversations, or makes it difficult to hear the TV, replacing this unit could make all the difference. In addition to vastly improving furnace efficiency, heater manufacturers have also introduced many models that offer whisper-quiet operation.
Create a Cleaner, Fresher-Smelling Home
Along with the tough, tacky build-ups in their interiors, many aging furnaces also retain and circulate a lot of particulate debris. This is why older furnaces often smell like burning dust when first turned on for the season. Swapping your aging heater out will result in cleaner, fresher-smelling air during use, fewer airborne allergens and contaminants, and less built-up dust on your windowsills, counters, walls, and other indoor surfaces.
We’ve been serving Bloomington Hills, MO and the surrounding cities since 1925. Homeowners can count on us for cutting-edge products, timely solutions, and competitive pricing. We offer top-notch HVAC, electrical, and plumbing services. We also offer indoor air quality improvements, sewer services, and sump pumps. If you’re ready to replace your 20-year-old furnace, contact AJ Danboise Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical now to request a quote or schedule an appointment.
