Maintaining an Energy Efficient Furnace
December/January 2005
Paul Scheckel
To maintain a safe and efficient furnace, you should have it
cleaned, tuned and adjusted (annually if it's an oil furnace, every
two years if it's a gas furnace). During that service, ask the
technician to test the energy efficiency of your furnace. If he or
she cannot bring efficiency up to at least 75 percent, then it may
be cost-effective for you to consider upgrading to a new, more
efficient furnace.
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There are also a few simple maintenance tricks you can perform
to improve the efficiency of your furnace:
- Keep your air registers clean and clear of furniture, drapes,
dirt or other obstructions that block heat flow.
- Regularly clean or replace your furnace's air filter. Do this
whenever you can see dust buildup, which may be once a month or
more during the heating season. If the air handler (the blower fan)
is also used for air conditioning, then service the filter
throughout the year.
- Check for soot, rust and corrosion in, on and around the
furnace. Such signs indicate the system requires immediate
service.
To learn more about how to increase the energy efficiency of your
home, see
Slash Your Heating Bills! in the December/January
issue of
Mother Earth News.