Upgrading to Newer Heating Systems for Home Use Continues to be a Money Saver

Heating services can be a vital part of any home or business, and many homeowners are taking steps to conserve energy and to improve their home heating efficiency. By law, new gas furnaces are required to achieve an efficiency rating over over 78%, and many newer models are posting much higher efficiency numbers, up to about 97%.

Some homeowners are even looking at a relatively new technology that removes the traditional water heater from the home’s equation entirely. Tankless water heaters that provide heating services use high-energy burners to heat a home’s water as needed, rather than heating it and storing it in advance.

Home heating services that involve a tankless water heating system can typically create hot water at a rate of up to five gallons every minute and are actually recommended by many experts for homes that use less than 40 gallons of hot water every day. The potential savings for homeowners, experts report, are in the hundreds of dollars every year.

A general contractor may be able to advise homeowners about heating services and potential purchase and installation of a tankless water heating system. Homeowners who choose to purchase a tankless water heater may expect the system to function for more than two decades; most traditional furnaces do have a slightly shorter life span.

Older, tank-based hot water heaters may be eating up as much as one-third of a home’s entire heating budget, and instead of waiting for a — perhaps inevitable — furnace repair, many homeowners with a low level of water heating needs are considering the purchase of a tankless water heating system.

If a homeowner makes the decision to keep their furnace in place, many experts recommend a yearly inspection, especially if the furnace is more than about 10 years old. Whether a tankless water heater is installed in the home or homeowners choose to upgrade and maintain an existing furnace, regular system maintenance by a professional heating contractor is highly recommended for peak efficiency and problem-free operation.