Why Now is the Time for Furnace Maintenance
It’s early September, and warm sunny days are still the norm. But the kids are back in school, and the leaves are already starting to turn. I hate to say it, but fall is coming. Hopefully, it will be a long and temperate season, but nights are going to start getting colder very soon. Making now the ideal time to focus on furnace maintenance, despite it being far too warm to contemplate turning the unit on.
Whether it is to prevent a dangerous carbon monoxide leak or a very uncomfortable cold night, doing furnace maintenance is critical, and fall is the best time to do it (before you need it, and before it’s challenging to get help when you need it). Here are 3 benefits to start your furnace maintenance today:
The safety of your family
The most important reason to start thinking and planning your furnace maintenance now is for the safety of those who live in your house. Whether it is keeping your home at a livable temperature or avoiding a dangerous leak that can put lives at risk, maintenance ensures that your unit will not only work when you need it but won’t actively cause harm. This is the best reason we can think of for bringing in experts to do a fall furnace tune-up, before you are running your furnace regularly.
Your bank account
Heating bills can be costly, especially if you don’t have a well-maintained heating unit. Build-up can alter how your furnace performs, making it work harder to heat your home. There are some studies (from places like the US Department of Energy) that show that regular maintenance can save up to 20% on heating bills. It can also save you costly repair bills, especially if you must pay emergency repair fees that are often double or even triple regular rates. Maintaining your unit now will save you money (and headaches) in the future.
The life of your system
When you maintain your furnace each fall, you can expect to get a lot more life out it. With regular maintenance, you can often double the lifespan of your heating system (or at least get around 30% more life out of it). When you consider that the average Canadian spends between $3500 and $5000 for a new furnace, getting three or even ten more years out of your furnace is a very big deal.
Besides these three very good reasons to schedule your furnace maintenance in the next few weeks, one of the best reasons is simply for your peace of mind. Knowing that when that first cold night hits, you can count on your heating system – that’s worth an awful lot.