If you have an old furnace, or one that has been giving you a lot of problems, now is the best time to so something about it. Spring and summer can be the best time of the year to either fix or upgrade your current one.
When winter is over many people stopping caring about their heating system because they will not need it for a while. But by the time October rolls around it will be too late to take advantage of some great deals that are available right now.
The cost to get anything on your furnace, boiler, or oil burner repaired or installed right now is cheap for one reason: demand.
First, most HVAC technicians who specialize in heating are very slow now. Its about this time of the year they see their business drop off to just a trickle.
Just a month ago their phones were ringing off the hook. Now they are happy if it rings once a week. The companies who also deal with air conditioning just phase into their “cooling” division within their business but not everyone in this field can do both.
Many companies start to slash their rates just around April. Especially now because it is not even hot enough for enough people who even be worrying about their AC units. HVAC guys are looking anywhere they can for work and will be willing to offer potential customers HUGE savings and incentives.
There is also a good chance they have a lot of leftover furnaces and oil burners in stock that are just sitting around. Because they want to move them and recoup their money they may be willing to give these to you at or close to their cost.
I would recommend upgrading your heating system now to a more efficient one if you have an older furnace, or boiler, and can afford it. You will be able to save hundreds of dollars, possibly thousands depending on the type of home you have.
Start by getting several estimates. Three to five quotes is a good number. Make sure you get a price for the parts and installation. Make sure that whatever company does the install offers some type of warranty with it. Then when you see winter in the horizon again you can breath a sign of relief because you took care of it now and got it done cheaply.
Oh, and one more thing to consider!
Now is an especially good time to think about buying a new gas furnace for your home. The government, as part of the stimulus package, is giving homeowners incentives to do so. When you purchase a new Energy Star Furnace you are eligible for a federal tax credit, up to $1,500, on next year’s taxes. This program went into effect on January 1, 2009 and will last until December 31, 2010.
