Chances are that you’re well aware about the costs associated with heating and cooling your home. In a typical home within the United States, this usually accounts for about half, or 48%, of overall energy usage. While 57% of the homes within the United States use natural gas to heat their homes, others may use electricity or other means, such as commercial boilers. Many older homes and apartment buildings may have commercial boilers to heat up their living spaces as well.
On average, furnaces usually last for about 15 to 18 years. If you already know your existing furnace is about this age or older, then it would be a good idea to consider replacing it with a newer model. Just in case your furnace has been replaced more recently, it would be a good idea to have a routine inspection before the cold weather really sets in. The last thing you want during the winter months is for your furnace to break down or fail to function optimally.
Efficiency standards have been set for new gas furnaces. While the law dictates that the lowest efficiency allowed is 78%, some of the newer models have almost total efficiency at 97%. Furthermore, the annual fuel utilization for these high-efficiency heating systems ranges between 90% to 98.5%.
Do you currently have a traditional ductwork system for cooling and heating your home? With this type of system, you may be losing up to 40% of the cool air you need due to a variety of issues with these systems. While you may not be concerned about your cooling needs at this time, when you have ductless mini split systems installed, you will be able to save over 30% of the energy you need for space conditioning, which includes both cooling and heating.
If you have warmer weather on your mind, it’s important to note that when you switch to a high-efficiency air conditioner, this can make a significant difference in your energy usage as well. When you also take other actions to maintain cool temperatures within your home, you can potentially reduce the amount of energy you need for air conditioning by 20% to 50%. These measures include weatherizing your home by sealing up any drafts and insulating your attic.
When you have a local heating and cooling services company inspect your existing system and provide routine maintenance, you can ask them about the new high-efficiency systems that are currently available. If you already have one of these systems, then remember that these and other types of systems also require routine inspections and maintenance. If your home or building is heated with commercial boilers, then you also want to have these heating systems on a regular maintenance schedule.