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How Often Should My Furnace Be Replaced?

Diamonds may last forever, but the same can’t be said of your furnace. At some point, you’ll need to replace it with a newer unit, but you’re probably wondering how often it should be done. Reading on will help shed some light on the topic.

When your furnace reaches old age

Today’s furnaces are remarkable when it comes to their overall longevity. As long as your furnace receives good maintenance and upkeep on a regular basis, you should expect to get up to 20 years of reliable service from it. It’s not out of the ordinary to see 30-year-old furnaces in action. Nevertheless, aging furnaces are prone to reliability issues, not to mention the potentially expensive repairs that often follow. A good time to assess whether you need a furnace replacement is when your current furnace turns 15 years old.

When repair costs approach replacement costs

Keeping your current furnace in action seems like the economical way to go, but it’s also easy to fall victim to the law of diminishing returns. Furnace repairs can become prohibitively expensive as your furnace ages. At some point, replacing your furnace entirely instead of investing in further repairs makes more financial sense. A good rule of thumb to follow is to consider a furnace replacement when the cost of repairing your current furnace reaches 50 percent of the cost of a replacement.

When your furnace loses out on efficiency

Another reason to replace your furnace is when newer versions outstrip your current unit’s energy efficiency. Keep in mind that heating and cooling makes up a significant portion of your home’s annual energy consumption. Today’s furnaces can use up to 98 percent of their fuel to deliver reliable heat, making them exceptionally efficient compared to older furnaces that struggle to use 80 percent of their fuel.

Call us for furnace replacement

When the time is right to replace your furnace, you want your service and installation in the hands of seasoned heating, ventilation and air conditioning professionals local to the Lincoln area. Get in touch with the experts at Wellmann Heating and AC INC. today to schedule service.