It can be easy to take your furnace for granted when your home is warm and cozy. But as soon as you experience an issue with your heating, you discover a new appreciation for this unsung hero of your home. And then you start to think about all the months and years of service it has already provided. You are soon wondering how many more years you will enjoy from your furnace and what you should be doing to maximize its efficiency and longevity.

Extending The Life Of Your Furnace

Like all of the mechanical items, your furnace should be getting some regular care and maintenance. Think about all the things you do to ensure that you get the most mileage out of your car. From oil changes to regular car washes, the principle is the same. Your furnace needs some attention and TLC to provide you with peak heating efficiency. Some simple tips include:

• Keep it clean- remove any debris and keep it as dust-free as possible.
• Inspect the air filters regularly-check the filters monthly and replace them when they are covered with dust and dirt
• Schedule an annual checkup- nothing takes the place of an inspection by an HVAC professional. He or she will know exactly what is needed to keep your furnace functioning as efficiently as possible to extend its life.
• Watch and listen for issues- at the first sign of an odd noise or problem, call your trusted HVAC pro. Addressing small issues quickly is the best way to avoid more extensive and costly problems that will shorten the life of your furnace.

Getting The Most Efficiency From Your Furnace

Just like your car, keeping your furnace in good working order is the best way to get the most out of it. And your reward for keeping your furnace in peak condition will be twofold. First, your home will remain warmer and more comfortable in the colder months. And second, you will find that your furnace uses less energy to do its job when properly maintained.

• The annual checkup is the best way to get the most bang for your heating bucks. Not only will these service calls help lengthen the life of your furnace, but it will also keep it from turning into an energy hog. A tuned-up furnace, just like a tuned-up car, uses less energy to get the job done.
• Duct inspections are as necessary as furnace inspections when it comes to increasing your heating dollars’ efficiency. According to the ENERGY STAR pros, 20% of all heated air escapes through leaking ducts before it reaches any room in your home. Having your home’s ductwork cleaned, inspected, and sealed can increase the efficiency of your furnace by up to 20%.
• Using ceiling fans might sound counterintuitive. But because warm air rises, you will find that the air near your ceiling is warmer than the air near the floor. So to force the warm air back down to the space where you are seated, use a ceiling fan with a reverse rotation. This will not change the room’s temperature. But it will balance the distribution of the warm air in the room. And that will make the room feel warmer and more comfortable.
• A programmable thermostat will let you save money when no one is home or when you are asleep. And though it is only a change of a few degrees, the savings add up when you calculate that most people are sleeping or away from home over half of the time.

To schedule service for your furnace with the pros at Thompson & Thompson Service Group, call (912) 225-4056.