Chances are you know that heating maintenance helps to improve the health of your system, preventing costly breakdowns and repairs. But did you also know that heating maintenance can improve the efficiency of your system? Read on to find out how.
Vigilance Pays Off
As a heating system gets older, it will naturally start accumulating wear and tear on its parts from regular use. Eventually, this degradation will cause the parts to fail and need replacing. Before it reaches that point, however, there is a steady decline in how efficiently each part functions. Perhaps not all the burners fire on your furnace, or mineral deposits start building up in your boiler. Even before these parts fail and necessitate replacement, they are consuming energy that is not being spent on heating your home. Regular heating maintenance can catch and fix these problems early on, ensuring that your system isn’t wasting energy with parts that aren’t working as they should. One common example of this is a clogged air filter.
Normally, the air filter in a heater serves as a buffer between the heater and the air being circulated. As the filter becomes clogged with dust and debris, however, it begins to restrict the air flow through it. This traps heat in the system, preventing it from traveling though the ducts to heat your home. Not only does this lower heating efficiency, but it can also cause damage to your heater. Regular maintenance includes replacing the filter, so this does not happen.
Another great example of this is duct cleaning. According to the US Department of Energy, forced air systems lose up to 30% of their heat on average to duct leaks. That is almost a third of your heat that is being wasted, translating to a sizeable cost increase on your heating bill. Many of these leaks are all but undetectable without close examination, so the only way to actually find and remedy them is through professional duct cleaning and maintenance. If you use a forced air system, repairing such leaks can result in an immediate drop in your heating bill.
If you haven’t had your heating system serviced in a while, call G&S Heating, Cooling & Electrical, Inc. We conduct heating maintenance over the entire Monroe area.
