Overwhelmed by a New Home? Heating and Cooling Questions Answered

I am starting to feel like a lot of people I know are beginning to buy or think about a buying a house. Home ownership carries with it great excitement, but also great trepidation. It is not just the worrying about mortgage payments and debt that could get you down either. Suddenly you are responsible for household elements that you never before had to worry about. For example, the heating and cooling system in your home. Perhaps in your previous living situation your landlord or maybe your parents dealt with this…you just worried about the thermostat and perhaps the bills. In order to help make this transition a little more smooth, here are some basic heating and cooling questions answered:

How Much Does it Cost to Pay for Heating and Cooling?

Paying for your utility heating and cooling bills is dependent on how often you turn on the heat or a/c and how you use your air conditioners and furnaces. The price of purchasing a heating and cooling system depends on the size of your home, the quality of the system and the quality of service. With a larger home one will usually pay more to have a properly sized heating and cooling system in the home. A higher efficiency furnace costs more than a lower one. Though higher efficiency systems cost more to begin with, they will save you money on your heating and cooling bills.

You can also lower your heating and cooling bills by investing in programmable thermostats, turning it down while you are out of town, and keeping doors, windows and chimney flues closed when the furnace or air conditioner is running. Also, consider alternative forms of heating and cooling such as geothermal.

How often does a furnace/air conditioner needs to be checked?

A furnace and an air conditioner should be checked annually. Ideally, a furnace would be checked in the fall and an air conditioner in the spring.

How often should a furnace/air conditioner be replaced?

The rule of thumb is about 20 years for a furnace and 12 years for an air conditioner. You may also want to look at the efficiency of your units; older ones tend to be less efficient and you may just want to replace them even if they have not hit the 12 or 20 year mark.

How often should a filter be changed?

A furnace/air conditioner filter should be changed or cleaned about once every three months. This keeps the system running efficiently and can help to save you money!

If you have any more questions about heating/cooling in general, feel free to contact FLAME!

Some information found-

http://www.ehow.com/info_7987588_should-change-furnace-filter.html