New Furnace Efficiency Law

Posted on February 9, 2012 by admin

To: Condo Associations, Property Owner and/or Managers

The federal Department of Energy will prohibit manufacturers from making gas furnaces less than 90 percent efficient after May 1, 2013. New furnace minimum efficiency laws that will affect all mid rise  condo’s and apartment buildings concerning their gas furnaces. Read page 18,19 and 20:  http://www.appliance-standards.org/sites/default/files/Furnace_AC_HP_Agreement_Text.pdf

90% furnaces are more energy efficient and the flue gases pipe out using PVC pipe, not sheet metal pipe. The older furnaces vent out using sheet metal pipe in a collective flue pipe that runs up the interior of the building to the roof.

Why should you care about the New Furnace Efficiency Law? Here is why:

If your furnace vents into a standard chimney or sheet metal B-vent structure, that type of furnace will not be manufactured any longer after May 1, 2013.

Here are the benefits if you act now:

  •  You can still install a chimney furnace that will last 20 – 25 years if properly maintained.
  • The cost of the chimney furnace is still very low, the closer we get to May 2013; the costs will rise due to supply and demand.
  • The labor to install a chimney vented furnace is much cheaper than the labor involved in changing a chimney vented furnace to a 90% furnace.

If you do NOT act now or before May 2013:

  • It is very labor intensive to vent out a 90% furnace in an apartment or condo especially high rise condos and apartments. With finished walls and ceilings, trying to run PVC venting outside a wall or through a ceiling becomes very difficult. Imagine the cost to set up scaffolding on high rise and mid rise building just to vent your furnaces.  If your units have spiral sheet metal duct suspended from the ceilings, where will the new PVC flue pipe run through to get to the outdoors? Architects and engineers may need to be called in for this new law in order to install the new furnace flue piping aesthetically.
  • In some jurisdictions, after May 2013, you may have to pay village inspection fees in order to install a 90% furnace in your building.
  • As we get closer to May 2013, the price of the 80% furnace will go up. It is financially advantageous to replace your furnace now instead of waiting until the last minute.
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What Furnace Maintenance Do I Need To Do?

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Lisa

It always amazes me that people often times do not know what kind of maintenance needs to be done to the various working parts of their home.  When you sign on the dotted line when you get your mortgage, they should also hand you a guide to home maintenance.  Like everything else in your life, your furnace needs to be maintained for it to work at its optimal level.  If you do not do regular furnace maintenance, you will be looking a possibly pricey furnace repair in your future.

One of the easiest things you can do for furnace maintenance is change your filter.  There are many different types of filters on the market.  You just need to find one that fits your needs and fits your furnace. Why is a furnace filter so important? If your filter is clogged, the furnace has to work harder to get the proper amount of warm air to your house. This in turn will cost you more in heating costs! If you have allergies, they have a filter for that! They even have reusable furnace filters.

Every year (or two) you should have an experienced furnace technician to check out your entire system. They will check for lose wires and make sure everything is in working order. Checks will include checking the operation of burner, inspecting the heat exchanger, checking the blower, inspecting the wiring for cracks or loose connections, etc. Think of this as a wellness check (like you get on your kids!) for your furnace. Your furnace technician may find an issue with a part you had no idea was even broken. Better to fix when it is warm out than when it is 20 below zero and the middle of the night (because that is when your furnace will break!).

Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? Once a year, make sure you are checking your battery in this. A carbon monoxide detector going off can be the first indication to you that there is something wrong with your furnace. It can also save your life.

Do you have a programmable thermostat?  You may not think this falls into maintenance, but if you don’t have one, your thermostat may also be causing you issues.  You need to make sure that your older thermostats are level and working correctly.

How are you maintaining your furnace? The little things you can do for furnace maintenance can save you big money in the long run on not needing furnace repairs!

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Posted in Furnace, furnace repair service, heating and cooling, heating repair, heating system repair | Tagged allergies, Carbon Monoxide, carbon monoxide detector, cracks, dotted line, entire system, furnace filter, furnace maintenance, Furnace repair, heat exchanger, home maintenance, loose connections, many different types, mortgage, optimal level, order checks, programmable thermostat, that fits your needs | 6 Comments

Buying A New Furnace

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Lisa

Who doesn’t like saving a few dollars? Do you have a gas furnace?

According to the Energy Information Agency, the drop in natural gas prices expected this year will reduce home heating costs to about $671 per home! That is about $50 less than last year. With the prices of everything going up, it is nice to see the price of one thing going down! If you use oil heat, you are looking at spending $2,383! If you have oil heat, now is the time to get a new furnace! Here is a few things to do before getting a new furnace:

  1. Get referrals. Call your friends and family and find out what kind of furnace they have. What do they like about it? What don’t they like? (Yes, there are features that people absolutely hate and wish they never got). Plus, you want to find out what heating and cooling contractors they used. Was it a good company? Was it a company that will do whatever it takes?
  2. Get several estimates and compare apples to apples.  Make sure you get your quotes in writing.  Unfortunately, there are some bad companies out there that will give you a verbal quote at one price and write another price on your contract.  You don’t want that surprise.
  3. Check for rebates.  The federal government, local states, local cities, and even utilities often have rebates that you can get if you upgrade to a higher efficiency furnace.  Check with all of these, because they can save you money!
  4. Read reviews on the new furnace that your heating and cooling company wants to install.  The more information you have at your fingertips, the better you will feel about deciding which furnace is best for your home.
  5. Don’t wait until your furnace dies to start shopping.  If your furnace is over 20 years old, you want to be looking now.  If your furnace dies in the winter when it is 20 below zero, you do not have time to do any research.  At that point, you are needing someone to come out now and fix it immediately.  You won’t have time to research anything and you may end up with a furnace purchase you aren’t happy with.

What better time to replace your furnace than when there is a drop in natural gas prices? The money you save can be put towards your new high efficiency furnace (which will also save you money!).

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Posted in Furnace, Hvac Chicago | Tagged apples to apples, efficiency, energy information agency, estimates, federal government, fingertips, friends and family, furnace purchase, gas furnace, good company, heating and cooling, home heating, money, natural gas prices, oil heat, quotes, Rebates, referrals, shopping, surprise | 4 Comments

When do I need to replace my HVAC equipment?

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Lisa

If you are like myself, you like to be proactive when it comes to needing new things for your home. There is nothing worse than having your furnace going out in the middle of the night on the coldest night of the year, and you don’t have time to research the best furnace for your home. Here are a few things to think about before your furnace quits working on you: Continue reading →

Posted in Air Conditioner, Chicago, Chicago Area, Chicago Boiler contractor, Chicago Furnace, Chicago Furnace Repair, fix the heating system, furnace repair service, heating and cooling, heating repair, heating system repair, Hvac Chicago, hvac repair | Tagged Air Conditioner, bandaid, chicago air, Chicago Boiler, coldest night of the year, efficiency units, energy bills, energy star, Furnace, heat pump, heating and cooling, high efficiency, hvac equipment, improper equipment, insulation, new chicago, programmable thermostat, standard model | 8 Comments

5 Signs That You Need A Chicago Furnace Repair

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Lisa

Even though it is warm outside right now, us Chicago natives know this warm weather  will not last, and we will be kicking our furnaces back on sooner rather than later.  (I’m hoping not tonight!)  However, there are a few signs that you may need a Chicago furnace repair: Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago Furnace, Chicago Furnace Repair, fix the heating system, Furnace, furnace repair service, Hvac Chicago, hvac repair | Tagged average life expectancy, Carbon Monoxide, dirt, duct work, explosion, flu, flu like symptoms, Furnace repair, Furnaces, hvac heating, light flame, natives, nausea, pilot light, signs, thermostat, warm weather, warm winter, weird noises, yellow flame | 10 Comments