Want to know something no homeowner in Fredericksburg, VA enjoys? Facing the same old dilemma every time a home comfort device breaks. Should I have my furnace fixed or buy a new one? It all comes down to figuring out when it’s okay to spend a little bit of money vs. when to spring for a brand new shiny unit.
One must confront certain truths. How old is the furnace? Does it need repairs often? What’s the effect on my heating bill? There are some cases where the benefits of buying a furnace replacement vastly overshadow the frugal nature of calling for repairs. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a close look at several different factors.
Is Your Furnace Getting Old?
Furnaces are quite sturdy and on average last 17 years. Anything beyond that, however, should be grounds for immediate replacement. All home comfort systems begin to exhibit certain problems as they age.
Symptoms of a furnace nearing the end of its life cycle include failure to evenly warm your home and strange, loud noises coming from the unit.
While it’s entirely within the realm of possibility a furnace could last much longer than 17 years, holding onto it any longer is a risky choice that may end up becoming costly.
Does it Break Frequently?
It’s quite possible if you choose to continue repairing your old furnace every time it breaks down rather than buy a replacement, you may end up putting more into the unit than it is actually worth.
Perpetually paying to fix a fragile piece of equipment isn’t a wise strategy anyway. There always comes a time when a home comfort device needs to be replaced. It’s best to do it before you end up wasting too much money on a busted up unit.
How High Is Your Heating Bill?
Of course, one of the biggest factors to examine at when it comes to deciding whether or not to have a furnace repaired or buy a replacement is how much the unit is costing you on your energy bill.
Drops in efficiency cause your device to work longer and harder to do the same job, are expected, as a device gets older. But the great thing about modern furnaces is how incredibly more energy efficient they can be. Purchasing one may require a high upfront cost, but the savings you earn due to consuming less energy every month means the unit might end up paying for itself before long.
