Furnace FAQs

Many homeowners know little about how their HVAC system works, including the furnace that keeps them warm during the winter. You don’t need to be an expert on this topic, but understanding the basics is helpful – and this FAQ will provide some good information for you to understand the basics about your furnace. When you are ready to schedule HVAC service or furnace repair in or around Greensboro, call Berico right away.

Q: Should I upgrade to a smart thermostat?
A: Running your furnace, and the rest of your HVAC equipment, off of a smart thermostat is not necessary, but it is a nice luxury. When you have the ability to control your system from your smartphone, you can make small adjustments even when you are away from the house – potentially cutting down on energy usage while improving comfort at the same time. Smart thermostats are relatively affordable and have a lot to offer, so this upgrade is well worth installing.

Q: What should I do if my furnace stops working?
A: Calling a reliable contractor like Berico should be your first step when the furnace goes out and will no longer heat your home. Getting started on repair work as soon as possible is your best bet to avoid a delayed outage. Of course, if it is going to be an extended period before your furnace can be fixed, it will be necessary to secure a warm place to stay until the furnace is back up and running. Having your furnace well maintained is one of the best ways to ensure that you never deal with a broken furnace on a cold winter night. Berico offers maintenance programs that include a regular check and service of your furnace.

Q: How big should my furnace be?
A: Picking the right size furnace when having a new one installed can be tricky for the average homeowner. You don’t want to spend more than necessary on the purchase, but you also don’t want an undersized unit that struggles to warm the house. Your best bet is to trust Berico to analyze your situation and recommend the right unit for your situation.

Q: How can I save money while running my furnace?
A: The obvious answer here is to ask the furnace to do less work day after day. The warmer you set the thermostat, the more energy the furnace will need to use to reach that target temperature. Beyond just living in a colder home, you can choose to selectively heat the space by closing vents in rooms that aren’t used. That will allow the busy parts of the house to stay warmer while not wasting energy heating up spaces where no one is spending time. But you don’t want to close off more than one or two rooms because your system is set-up for the current square footage of your home. If you close off too many vents you are essentially decreasing the square footage and throwing the system out-of-balance.

Q: How long will a new furnace last?
A: As you might imagine, there is no set period of time that you can expect to get from a new furnace. However, if you have a quality piece of equipment installed by a professional team like Berico – and that equipment is then serviced properly over the years – you should expect to get well in excess of 10 years of service from that furnace. If things go well, that number could be as high as 20 years or more, although you’ll want to monitor the performance of the furnace in those later years to make sure it is still performing up to your expectations.