Living in Cincinnati, it’s easy to forget about your furnace when it’s functioning properly. But when your furnace starts giving you headaches, it's probably smart to consider a replacement. Here are four telltale signs that it's time to start thinking about getting a new furnace. 

1. Your furnace is 15 years old or older. A furnace, like any other system in your home, has a certain life span, and by the time it has hit 15 years, it could be operating at an efficiency as low as 50 percent. That's half of your energy money going up in smoke. In contrast, today's furnaces must have an efficiency of at least 78 percent, and some units have an efficiency of nearly 100 percent. Your new furnace will begin paying for itself in terms of energy savings on day one. 

2. Your repair bills are climbing. Has your once-very-reliable furnace been breaking down? Very often, these cluster breakdowns aren't blips, but an indication that your furnace is nearing the end of its life. Get ahead of the game, and start shopping now, when it's not midwinter and you're not under any pressure to get that heating system in -- fast. By starting now, you can have that replacement chosen and in your home before the inevitable happens. 

3. Your energy bills are rising. Yes, you can blame the utility company for part of a rise. But often a rise in energy bills -- especially if it's a spike -- is the fault of your furnace. As your furnace loses efficiency with age, it has to work harder to do its job, and your heating bills go up. 

4. Your system is increasingly noisy.  Those squeals, squeaks, rattles and thumps might very well be telling you that your furnace is nearing the end of the road. It's working hard and feeling the pain.

For more information on home heating, contact the experts at Tri-County Heating & Cooling. We can discuss your options with you, and if you do, indeed, need a new system, we can help you select the furnace that's best suited to your requirements. We have served Butler County and Greater Cincinnati residents since 1969.

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