Investing in a new furnace is probably not on your list of things to do this season. After all, with the holidays approaching, the last thing any of us feels like doing is spending more money! But if your furnace is older, showing telltale signs of wear and tear, or isn’t working as well as it used to, you could actually be costing yourself more by keeping it and fixing it, rather than buying a new system. Let’s look at some points to consider when asking yourself if your furnace needs replacing.

Your furnace needs frequent maintenance. Even if the fixes required aren’t major, frequent furnace maintenance is an indication that the system is starting to break down. Sooner or later, those little fixes will start to add up – not only in terms of the money spent, but in the hassle associated with constant service calls.

Your bills are increasing. Have your noticed your energy bills steadily increasing over the last few months? Seasonal changes aside, higher energy bills might be an indication that your HVAC system has to work harder than it used to in order to provide your home with the service it needs. This, in turn, is an indication that the system is potentially starting to fail.

Your furnace is at least 10 years old. This might seem a bit extreme – after all, 10 years isn’t such a long time, and many furnaces are still operating just fine after 10 years or more. The issue regarding older furnaces isn’t necessarily their condition, however – it’s their efficiency. Furnaces that are more than a decade old aren’t nearly as efficient as their newer counterparts; they might be only 65% efficient, whereas a newer high-efficiency furnace is upwards of 90% efficient. This translates into a lot of wasted energy (and money) on a monthly basis.

Of course, one of the best ways to determine if you need a new furnace is to consult an expert. Contact us at SSI today to schedule a furnace inspection.