Blog

• January 27, 2022
• BlueSeaXp

When It’s Time To Replace Your Furnace

The furnace is arguably the most important appliance in the home; it keeps you and your family safe, dry, and warm. The winter season is a terrible time for your furnace to stop working.

A furnace can last well over 15 years before it stops working as efficiently as when it was new. When that happens, it might be time to consider replacing it before it’s too late. Replacing a furnace can be expensive, but if you’re running it at full capacity just to keep your home comfortable, you may end up spending just as much, if not more on energy bills over the course of just a couple of years.

Not only that, having a plan in place to replace your furnace is better than having it give up unexpectedly.  With that in mind, here are some things to consider before replacing your furnace. If you require furnace installation in Surrey, contact us to make an appointment for a consultation.

There are some tell-tale signs it may be time for a new furnace. These may include;

• Loud, banging noises coupled with the furnace’s age (if it’s over 15 years old) is a good indication that your furnace may be starting to lose some of its power. Additionally, you might notice that you need to turn up the thermostat just to keep the house comfortable, or you might notice colder pockets in the house- a sign that your furnace might not be doing a good job distributing the heat.
• Your heating system might not turn itself on and off like it’s meant to. If it’s continually breaking down, replacing it is probably cheaper than fixing it.

What Kind of Furnace Should You Get?

You can choose between a gas-powered unit or an electrical one. Generally, people tend to stick with the same kind of system as their previous furnaces. Making the switch from gas to electric (or the other way around) is both very costly and time-consuming.

There are two other factors you need to consider: the BTU and the AFUE.

BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. This is the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of a pound of water by one degree; generally, 30-60 BTUs per square foot of the home is acceptable, but this varies depending on your needs.

AFUE is the annual fuel utilization energy; it measures how efficiently your furnace functions. The higher the AFUE, the more expensive the unit will be, but you may save on your energy bills.

How Much Will It Cost and How Long Can It Take?

The cost of a new furnace plus installation will vary greatly depending on what kind of power you are using (gas or electric), the BTU and AFUE of the unit you choose, and the cost of labor and materials. You will need to discuss the cost with the installation specialists after they’ve done their inspection.

You should give your furnace installation specialist at least one and up to two days to complete the job, including installation, testing, and removal of the old one. For furnace installation in Surrey, click here for a consultation.