When money’s tight, you try to reduce your spending in as many ways as possible. After cutting the usual shopping trips and splurges on takeout, you might turn to a less-obvious source of savings: your annual furnace tune-up.
Skipping your usual furnace checkup could save you a quick and easy $100, but you could lose a lot more than that in the long run.
While it might seem counterintuitive to spend money in order to save money, routine household maintenance proves this rule. Let’s look at five reasons why you should a book a check-up to protect your budget.
What is a Furnace Tune-Up?
A tune-up is when an experienced HVAC professional to examine the internal components of your furnace. Most HVAC technicians have a long checklist of items to test and clean to ensure your appliance is ready for another busy winter.
During this process, they also look for signs of wear and tear as well as any concerning damages, issues, or leaks. They’ll let you know about these problems at the end of their check-up, recommending next steps.
3 Reasons to Get Your Furnace Checked Out
Having a professional look over this appliance is a good idea for your home and your budget. Here are three simple reasons why:
1. Avoid a Costly Breakdown
A tune-up is all about minimizing emergencies. HVAC technicians can catch small issues and recommend solutions before they tailspin into a larger, more costly thing to fix.
Furnace repairs can vary drastically depending on the issue, but you can expect to pay roughly $500 on average for a proper repair. Do you have that kind of money? Most people don’t have $500 set aside, which makes handling this repair difficult — but not impossible.
If you don’t have savings to ensure your furnace runs this winter, you can check out emergency loans online. You may find convenient access to emergency loans by going online, looking for lenders that offer simple virtual applications. If approved, you can use an emergency loan to cover an unexpected repair to such a vital part of your home.
2. Extend the Lifetime of Your Furnace
Your furnace may not suffer a big, expensive breakdown without a tune-up. But it will work under more challenging conditions without regular cleaning and maintenance.
Working hard under these conditions every year puts immense pressure on its internal components. And like any hard-working gadget or device, your furnace won’t last as long.
Most furnaces have a lifespan of 10 years, but an under-maintained one could need replacing well before the decade mark. You might need another emergency loan to handle a total replacement. After all, you could spend between $2,817 – $6814 on a new appliance, depending on your fuel type.
3. Reduce Your Utility Bills
Long before your furnace will breakdown or need replacing, your utility bills will start to climb. That’s because a furnace that has to work harder to heat your home consumes more energy. At a time when energy prices have gone up naturally (thanks, inflation), you don’t need any help raising your bills.
Unfortunately, emergency loans cannot be an answer in this situation. Emergency loans are designed as a backup for non-recurring, unexpected expenses — not regular bills.
The Takeaway:
A check-up is an investment in your home. While it may cost some money upfront, it promises long-term savings as you reduce bills, limit repairs, and avoid a premature replacement.
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