When do I need to replace my HVAC equipment?

If you are like myself, you like to be proactive when it comes to needing new things for your home. There is nothing worse than having your furnace going out in the middle of the night on the coldest night of the year, and you don’t have time to research the best furnace for your home. Here are a few things to think about before your furnace quits working on you:

• How old is your heat pump or air conditioner?  If it more than ten years old, start shopping!   The new high-efficiency units on the market now can save you up to 20% on heating and cooling costs!
• How old is your furnace or boiler?  If either of these is older than 15 years old, you should start looking for a new furnace or boiler!  Consider getting an Energy Star qualified furnace.  They are 15% more efficient than a conventional furnace. If you have a boiler, an Energy Star qualified boiler is 5% more efficient than a new, standard model!  These directly translate into heating and cooling costs savings!
• How often are you repairing your HVAC equipment?  If you are constantly having your Chicago heating and cooling company coming out to do repairs, it may be time for a new furnace or air conditioner.
• Are your energy bills constantly going up?  If you are using the furnace and air conditioner the same and finding that your energy bills are constantly going up, your heating and cooling equipment may have become less efficient.
• Are there rooms in your home that are too hot or too cold? There can be many reasons for this ranging from improper equipment operation to duct problems to inadequate insulation. This is definitely worth having a Chicago heating and cooling company come out and check. They can advise how to fix these problems instead of just putting a bandaid over it.
• Do you have a programmable thermostat?  Why tax your furnace when you aren’t home or while you are sleeping?  If you don’t know how to install your own thermostat, there are many Chicago heating and cooling companies that will happily come out and do it for you.  A programmable thermostat will save you money each and every month!
• Does your home have humidity problems?  Poor equipment operation, inadequate equipment, and leaky ductwork can cause the air to be too dry or too humid.
• Is your house excessively dusty?  Are you using the correct filters on your furnace?  Has your furnace been cleaned lately?  Also, leaky ducts can pull particles and air from attics, crawl spaces and basements and distribute them throughout your house.
• Is your heating or cooling system noisy?  You could have an undersized duct system, a lose part, or even a defective one!

As you can see, there are many questions you need to ask yourself to figure out if you just need a Chicago HVAC equipment repair or if you will need  to actually replace your HVAC equipment instead.  Call your local Chicago heating and cooling company to see what would work best in your HVAC situation.