by Ben Wanner of Pro Service Mechanical

From NRCan single family home averages 2013

We are all doing our part in small ways to save energy and money these days and help the environment. You may be doing a great job recycling, taking your bike to work, changing to CFL or LED lightbulbs, using water saving toilets etc. What many people are not aware of is that changing your old furnace is in most cases the single biggest potential of energy savings, saving money and reducing your greenhouse gas emissions.

We can also consider that your old furnace may be costing you a significant amount of money in repairs over the next few years and is likely without any warranty. If you furnace is 18 years or older I would suggest considering the cost savings in this article as well as keeping in mind that your furnace is near or at the end of life.

Some Very Compelling Numbers

Did you know that on average, 63% of the energy (and we mean all the energy, electricity, natural gas, wood, fuel oil etc) is used heating your home. This means if we take our old standard furnace at 60% efficiency over a heating season and change it to a 96% efficient furnace with a DC variable fan we can reduce our energy use for space heating by 38%. This also means that we can reduce our homes total energy use on average by 24%.

Of course there are other things we can do to reduce our home energy usage but this is by far the most simple and significant change with the most potential for savings. It should definitely be considered first.

The Dollars and Cents Makes Sense!

According to SaskEnergy stats, changing your 60% furnace to a 95% plus high efficiency furnace can save you about $500 a year on electrical and natural gas costs. Over a ten year period at today’s rates, the savings will often pay for the cost of a furnace installation and assuming rates rise over the next ten years which they likely will, it could save you even more.

Environmental Benefits

Changing your furnace from a standard to a high efficiency model could reduce your Greenhouse Gas emissions by up to 2 tonnes or more annually. This is the equivalent  to over 7,000 km’s of driving in a year or the approximate equivalent of driving from Saskatoon to Costa Rica. It would take a lot of bike rides to work to equal that distance.

We can also consider how much energy our homes use in the grand scheme of things. 17% of energy used in Canada is for residential housing. It is surprisingly significant. It really shows that saving 24% of the energy our home uses can really help and if we combine it with a few other energy improvements such as insulation, air sealing etc, we can make an even bigger impact.

Courtesy of NRCan

This really is one of the most significant improvements you can make for savings and the environment and you get to enjoy all these other benefits.

Other Benefits

• Better Comfort

A two stage or multi stage high efficiency furnace with a DC variable speed fan motor will keep your home more comfortable by providing more even heat and at the same time make very little sound. You will likely not be able to tell it is running in most cases. It does all this while saving money.

• Warranty

Most new furnace products come with a 5 or 10 year parts warranty. Most new furnaces will also have a 20 year or a limited lifetime heat exchanger warranty. Less maintenance and repair costs means saving more money. It also means a lot less headache and a lot more reliability.

• Easy to Finance and No PST!

Until March 31, 2018, Energy Star qualifying furnaces can be financed for 6.5% so its easy to get the right furnace you need now. Also all Energy Star furnaces are PST exempt. Check out our financing page to get started with rates thru SaskEnergy and FinanceIt.

Contact Pro Service today and find out how you can save on your heating costs!

Pro Service has the best staff and equipment to tackle your heating replacement. With Lennox furnaces, the most efficient furnace on the market, lifetime heat exchanger warranties and 10 year parts warranties, you can have piece of mind and start saving today. Pro Service gives you a free in home no pressure estimate and our 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. FInd out more about our furnace products by contacting us today. Trust you locally owned Saskatoon furnace installation and repair professionals at Pro Service.

Pro Service has a full line of Lennox equipment to fit your needs and budget. You can save up to $1600 on a new installation before March 1, 2018.

If you have any other questions or concerns about Cooling, Heating or Plumbing call the pros from Pro Service at 306-230-2442. We have 24/7 365 emergency service and we are always here to help.