6 Benefits of Annual Furnace Maintenance Visits

When it comes to home maintenance, the furnace often gets put on the backburner — pun intended. Fortunately, this powerful appliance is pretty resilient and will likely be fine if it gets put to the bottom of the maintenance to-do list. However, it’s worth the time and money to schedule annual furnace maintenance and repair visits each year.

Here are six reasons why you should bring your furnace to the forefront of your mind and schedule an annual maintenance visit in the fall.

Prepare for the Cold Season

The primary benefit of scheduling an annual furnace maintenance visit is to ensure your furnace is ready for the cold season — especially if you live in a place where fall and spring are also pretty chilly. You don’t want to discover that your furnace isn’t working on the first day you need it, nor do you want it to stop working when trying to meet the demands of the first winter storm. Calling a specialist to help with your furnace will ensure that any necessary repairs are complete before it becomes an emergency situation. During an annual tune-up visit, the furnace specialist will replace filters, lubricate moving parts, remove dirt and debris from connections, and generally ensure everything is working in perfect condition. Scheduling this visit early also provides ample time if your furnace requires extensive repairs and will help you avoid the waitlist during the busy season.

Save on Heating Costs

If your furnace isn’t running efficiently, it will often consume more fuel to do less work. Many people notice that the temperature set on the thermostat doesn’t match what’s happening in the home, indicating a maintenance issue. When this occurs, your furnace will continuously use fuel to try and compensate for the inconsistency, driving your home heating costs up. Scheduling maintenance will allow the HVAC specialist to find the problems that cause this issue ahead of time and ensure they’re corrected before you turn on the heat for the winter. Additionally, cleaning out debris, replacing filters, and lubricating connections will also help the furnace run more efficiently.

Save on Electricity

While your heating fuel bill and power bills are two separate entities, many furnaces and HVAC systems use electricity to pump air through the house. If you notice your furnace short-cycling — that is, starting to power up and then stopping suddenly — you may also notice your electricity bill start to increase. Again, prevention is the key to keeping your home heating costs low. The technician will address these issues during your annual maintenance visit.

Extend the Lifespan of Your Furnace

Furnaces are meant to last 15 to 20 years. If you schedule proper maintenance, you’ll find yourself at the upper end of that lifespan. Loose connections, dirty filters, and other issues cause your furnace to work harder than necessary, which results in it burning out faster. As furnace replacements are significant jobs with an ample price tag attached, this reason alone is enough to make the call for a service appointment right now.

Protect the Environment

Along with saving money by ensuring your furnace is running efficiently, annual maintenance will also help minimize the impact your home heating has on the environment. Less fuel and energy consumption, along with fewer old furnaces rusting in landfills, helps minimize your carbon footprint. As many modern homebuyers are shopping with sustainability in mind, this is an important consideration.

Protect Your Home and Family

The most important reason to ensure your furnace is running optimally is the health and well-being of yourself and your loved ones. If your furnace starts experiencing issues, your household is at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, or, in severe incidents, an explosion. To prevent these tragedies, ensure you have carbon monoxide detectors on each floor and have your furnace inspected annually. If you haven’t already scheduled a furnace tune-up for the year, put it at the top of your home maintenance list.