It’s easy to take your heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, for granted.
Don’t.
Annual inspections, regular filter changes and service when needed will keep your home – and those who abide and visit it – cozy, warm and safe.
“The key is maintenance. Have your heater inspected; cleaned if there are any fittings that need to be lubricated and have that maintenance done. Put filter changes on your calendar – especially if you have pets,” said John Gray, project manager at Total Home Manager LLC in Hopewell, New Jersey.
Gray said a small annual investment in your system’s health and well-being is “the best money you can spend to prolong the life of your heating system.”
Taking the time to understand your heater, as well as what makes it tick, can be useful information throughout its lifespan –especially and when the time comes to consider a replacement.
“Your HVAC contractor can guide you to plan a budget for replacement” when it is time, Gray said.
While oil has been a mainstay for decades in many American households, the reliance on oil as a main heating system fuel – as we’ve known it since the 1970s – continues to steadily decline.
Statista.com reported across the nation fuel oil and kerosene products accounted for 14.55% of home heating products as of August 2023, while utility gas represents about 51% of the American residential heating fuel market.
Access to natural gas and energy efficient electric heat pump options along with manufacturer, energy suppliers and federal government discounts and rebates have made conversion costs more enticing.
“We have [home] buyers who will not even visit a property for sale, based on a fuel type,” said Jaimie Meehan, a Realtor at Melissa Healy Group at Keller Williams Real Estate in Doylestown.
“For example, if oil is not their fuel of choice, they would exclude those homes from viewing,” she added.
Meehan said years ago, heat pumps fell into the same category oil furnaces and heaters tend toward now, because older heat pump systems were costly to install and expensive to run.
“Newer heat pump systems are actually very energy efficient and have taken away some of that cost stigma. A buyer may be Okay with an oil or propane backup system” when an energy efficient heat pump is the primary HVAC system, she said.
Global news agency Reuters.com reported in October that natural gas output and demand in the United States was set to reach record highs in 2023.
“Everyone wants natural gas,” said Leigh Nunno, a Realtor and associate broker at Melissa Healy Group at Keller Williams Real Estate in Doylestown.
In order to enjoy a natural gas HVAC system, there must be public utility service to the property, which is not uniform in most areas.
“If you think about our [Bucks] county, the public infrastructure for gas is limited. Even in Doylestown Borough some streets have it and some do not,” Nunno said.
As the majority of people want central air conditioning, they also prefer natural gas units for heat.
“Propane is also an option,” said Dennis Gehman, president of Gehman Design Remodeling in Harleysville, Montgomery County.
Today’s split or mini split heat pump systems offer more flexibility and options than many other types of home heating appliances.
Among Gehman’s general contracting business clients, he said about 50% of home additions he builds are meant to serve as in-law suites and accommodations.
“The temperature older folks want, compared with the younger family is going to be different, so it’s wise to have a separate system. That way Grandma or Grandpa can have it as warm as they want,” he said.
When there’s a need to replace an aging HVAC system think about your needs – now and in the future, especially if a home addition for living space is planned.
“There are houses where the HVAC unit is at one end of the basement, and we’re adding onto the opposite side of the house,” Gehman explained.
In cases where relocating a furnace, extensive duct work changes or disrupting a finished basement level is the only way to keep a single system, it may not make sense, according to Gehman.
Adding a separate heating system, or a mini-split heating and air conditioning system, can fit the bill.
“If the project requires two systems and the main system is older, we can put one new system in to handle the first floor, and a second unit in the attic to handle the second floor,” Gehman explained.
He said lack of insulation in wood frame homes can create different heating and cooling needs, too – and more than one mini -split system can work.
Old and older homes made from brick or stone may require their own unique accommodations.
“With masonry [construction] walls are often 12 to 24 inches thick, and in old homes you won’t get a lot of cold into the house” so system placement and features may need greater flexibility, Gehman explained.
Improvements in technology and efficiency have made electric heat pump systems a more attractive option to more homeowners.
Mini-split heat pump systems can provide both heating and cooling using one unit, though not all do.
Some mini-split systems are only designed as air conditioners, so be sure to ask and clearly convey your home climate needs when considering systems.
“There are tax incentives from the federal government because of the efficiency of electric units. These incentives can be a deal maker for people,” Gehman said.
Older and old Bucks County farmhouses, where duct work is challenging, can be more easily accommodated by split unit systems, Nunno explained.
“We have found that mini-split units have become much more popular in the past five to 10 years. They can give another source or be a supplemental source of heat and central air conditioning,” she said.
For homes without central air conditioning, mini-split and split systems may add value to the home – and to prospective home buyers.
“For those 200 to 300 year old homes [a mini-split] may be all they can do without a major renovation,” Nunno said.
Fireplaces, fireplace inserts, wood or gas stoves are additional and alternate ways to supplement home heating.
With an oil heating system, a fireplace insert or wood or gas stove can reduce oil usage, as well as the total amount of oil burned throughout the heating season.
While they have yet to become widespread, geothermal systems are another player in the residential home heating and cooling market.
Current geothermal systems are expensive to implement and have high upfront installation costs. Savings happens over time as the system eliminates monthly costs to operate.
“Geothermal is a commitment, and it’s generally a conversion from another type of system,” Nunno said.
Finding the right contractor in advance of a home heating system replacement or conversion is well worth the time investment.
Family, friends, business colleagues and associates are one way to find a contractor in your area. Most local chambers of commerce can help, too, with member referral services.
Nunno recommends Realtor’s offices when looking for an HVAC contractor.
Many Realtor’s offices keep a contractor list based on recommendations and feedback from clients.
“Reasonable price, good experience – or bad – we hear it all,” Nunno said.
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