Articles - homeECONOMICS
Furnace Primer
By Talbot Boggs
Canadians love to hate winter and are adept at finding as many ways and opportunities as they can either to escape it or at least make it as comfortable as possible.
There are many ways to keep warm during the long, cold winter months, and one of the simplest and most cost effective is to make sure you have a good, reliable furnace to heat your home. Just like your heart, your furnace is a pump that heats your home and keeps you and your family warm and secure. So it's important to make sure it's in good working order before the cold weather hits. "As a rule it's a good idea to examine and tune up your furnace in late summer," says Chris Orton, district sales manager with Lennox Canada. "Make sure your heating system has an annual check-up by a licensed contractor before the cold weather comes."
Most homeowners will change their furnace filters, which is a good thing that should be done every three months. But a licensed contractor will inspect your entire furnace system for a host of other potential problems and issues. A complete home furnace tune-up typically costs about $100 or more and may consist of up to more than 20 checklist items, including operation of the thermostat and safety limit controls, lubricating the pump, fan and motor bearings, checking gas pressure on the furnace, checking the fan belt, vent blowers, pilot and ignition system and gas pilot safety system, checking all filters and mechanical and electrical connections, cleaning all ducts, performing carbon monoxide tests and more.
"Consumers still need a lot of education about how furnaces operate and what to look for," says Bill Pryhoda, field service and territory manager with Trane Canada. "Most people can change a filter but modern, high-efficiency furnaces are complicated and should be serviced by a licensed contractor. Many consumers still don't have an annual maintenance program."
Most natural gas furnace providers offer annual maintenance programs which can take about an hour to perform depending on your heating system and the size of your home. "Proper, qualified maintenance is more crucial on the new high-efficiency furnaces, many of which have secondary heat exchangers," says Goodman vice president Steve Saunders. "There are more components on high efficiency furnaces and it's important that everything is working properly if you want to keep your furnace running efficiently." Standard warranties on high efficiency furnaces cover parts for five years and some companies offer parts and service warranties for up to 10 years.
If you do decide to change or upgrade your heating system, do it early before the bad weather sets in and learn all about the different types of systems that are available before deciding what is right for you. All natural gas furnaces sold in Canada since 2010 have an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency rating equal or greater than 90 per cent and can save homeowners as much as 24 per cent compared to a mid-efficiency natural gas furnace. For most homeowners, the major factor in the home heating decision is cost. This involves the purchase price of the installed heating system and the annual operating cost for energy, as well as other factors such as maintenance costs, cleanliness and noise of operation. The average yearly cost to heat a home can range anywhere from about $570 using natural gas to up to almost $2,500 using propane. Heating contractors can give an estimate of the purchase price of various systems. Union Gas provides consumers with valuable information about furnaces including buying tips, maintenance, installation advice and cost comparisons at uniongas.com/furnace.
There's no easy solution to the continuing
challenge to keep warm during Canada's long and severe winter.
If you're keeping your current heating system, make sure you're
on a regular maintenance program so that your furnace is safe,
reliable and performs as it should. If you're making a change,
do some homework to find the system that is best for you. In
either case, a little maintenance and education will go a long
way to making the cold Canadian winter as warm and comfortable
as possible for you and your family.
