In years past, your heating system has not truly delivered the way you would like. This year, you’re ready for a change. Whether or not you’re ready to completely update your heater, there may be upgrades you can make to keep you more comfortable, to save some money each month, and to increase your safety.
Get a New Thermostat
This is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to upgrade your home heating system—especially if you choose a Nest thermostat or any smart thermostat that allows you remote control and advanced access to your thermostat settings from a smartphone.
For a small investment, you get benefits that have never before been possible in heating and air conditioning.
- Manage your daily schedule from your phone so the home is an efficient temperature most of the day and comfortably warm when you come home.
- Easily delay scheduled settings if you’re going to be late coming home.
- Warm up the home ahead of time if you plan to get home early.
- Check your usage and find ways to cut costs and save energy and fuel.
Try a Humidifier
If you have trouble staying comfortable just running the heater, there may be another problem to address. Dry air is common in the winter when that dryness can add an extra chill to the air. It also makes you uncomfortable in other ways, with chapped lips and dry skin being chief annoyances.
Portable humidifiers are common in our area, but they don’t really compare to the effectiveness of whole-house humidifiers. These can add enough moisture to make the entire home more comfortable, and can even help to prevent the spread of contaminants that can thrive in dry air. Best of all, they can work with your thermostat to make it convenient to control temperature and humidity levels as you’d like.
Schedule Maintenance
We occasionally get asked whether it’s possible to retrofit an existing furnace to make it more efficient. The fact is that the only way to get high-efficiency equipment in your furnace is to replace it with one with a high AFUE rating. However, you may be able to improve efficiency somewhat, or at least restore most of the original efficiency of your system, with a bit of work.
When you schedule regular maintenance for your heating system, it’s able to keep some of its efficiency and lower costs. Routine maintenance includes an inspection for safety and performance along with a tune-up that can keep the components running smoothly.
Replace It
Eventually, the only way to upgrade your furnace will be to replace it. Furnaces only have a lifespan of about 10-15 years, and after this point, they will not run efficiently and will become more likely to break down when you need them most.
Ask your technician for help finding the right furnace for your home and an efficiency rating that will help you to save money over the years. You may be surprised by the savings, which should last many years with regular maintenance!
GRmetro Heating and Cooling Inc offers heating services in Grand Rapids, MI.
