Whether it’s powered by gas, propane or electricity, a furnace’s job is to deliver heat to the rooms in your home. You know how much you paid for the furnace and its installation. You also know how much your energy bill is every month. If you stay on top of maintenance, you probably have an HVAC professional inspect it at least twice a year. But there are some hidden costs to furnace ownership that you should know about and try to avoid.
Not Considering the Total Cost of Your Furnace
Hidden costs might begin even before you buy the furnace. Let’s say you’re looking for a new furnace, and you notice one costs less, even considerably less, than the other. Your instinct is to buy the cheaper furnace. However, on closer inspection, you find that the more expensive furnace has a higher Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency rating. This means it can save you literally thousands of dollars over the 15 years that make up the working life of most furnaces. The higher AFUE rating means that the costlier furnace will pay for itself after a few years. On the other hand, the cheaper furnace might never make back its initial cost.
Energy Costs That Are Too High
As far as you’re concerned, your furnace is working just fine. You don’t think you’re paying too much for its upkeep or your energy bills until you happen to speak to an HVAC technician who has come to troubleshoot your system. Then, you discover that you’re paying too much for just about everything to do with your furnace. Your HVAC technician gives you the bad news that your furnace is either too big or too small for your home. The ducts that send heat to the vents are leaking, the furnace’s AFUE rating is low, and you’ve misprogrammed your thermostat.
The Furnace Was Incorrectly Installed
Avoiding hidden costs is another reason that you want a skilled and knowledgeable HVAC professional to install your furnace. A furnace that’s not installed correctly is inefficient and won’t heat your home properly. It short cycles and, worst of all, is dangerous to have in your home. An improperly installed gas or propane furnace might not be properly connected to the vent that carries carbon monoxide gas to the outside. This allows this deadly gas to accumulate inside your home.
You depend on your furnace to keep your home warm in the winter, which is why it is critical that you do whatever is possible to keep it in top shape. For furnace repair, don’t wait to call our technicians at We Care Heating & Air Conditioning of Central Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.
