How long should my furnace last?

Each year when you fire up your furnace for the first time, do you wonder if this is the year I need to replace it?  To make this decision you need to take into account several key factors.

How Old is Your Furnace?
The average life expectancy of furnaces in homes today is between 16 and 20 years. If your furnace is close to this age or older, you should begin looking at your options.  If forced to find a replacement furnace in an emergency there usually isn’t a lot of time to make the best decision.

Just because your furnace is pushing its reasonable life expectancy, it does not always mean it needs replaced at this time.  An HVAC professional can give you an assessment following a regular service call.  Having your furnace serviced annually can extend its useful life.

Frequency of Repairs

If your repair costs are mounting, it may be time to replace your old furnace.

A better measure of when to replace your furnace is it’s repair history.  Typically the older a furnace the more costly it gets to keep it running.  Once the cost to repair is 50% of the cost of a new furnace, you should replace it.

On furnaces over 15 years old, if the repair cost is 15% to 20% of the replacement cost, it is probably a better investment to replace.  Putting more money into a unit that is likely to break down again soon doesn’t seem wise.

Utility Bills Continue to Rise
Older furnaces are less efficient than today’s models.  As the cost of energy increases less efficient older furnaces will cost you more to run. In colder climates the difference in energy efficiency between old and new can add up to quite a few dollars.  Replacing an older furnace with a new high-efficiency unit will save you considerably on your utility bill and over time help offset the cost of the new furnace.

A Word of Caution
Determining when to go to the expense of replacing your furnace is not a cut and dry decision.  Be careful of going on the recommendation of any contractor who is quick to want to replace your old furnace.  Our suggestion is to get the opinions of more than one HVAC contractor before making a final decision.

We are Happy to be Your First or Second Opinion
Mecko’s Heating & Cooling will be happy to visit and discuss your furnace options and if this is the time to replace your old furnace.  Use this information to get other assessments, so you are comfortable with your decision to replace or repair.  We can be reached at 765-447-7555 or Email Us.