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IS IT TIME TO REPLACE YOUR FURNACE?

Every year, we’re surprised when the temperatures plummet around Halloween. We pull out our blankets and winter coats and turn on our furnace for the first time in months. We naively assume it will start up with ease. But, like all appliances, it has a limited lifespan. A well-functioning furnace keeps your home comfortable, but an old or broken furnace can cause headaches, rash decisions, and high expenses. Here are the 8 signs it might be time to replace your furnace—and why a heat pump is a great upgrade!

8 Signs It's Time To Replace Your Furnace

The Age Of The Furnace

Furnaces typically last between 10 and 15 years, depending on how well you’ve maintained the system. If your furnace is approaching or has surpassed this age range, it may be time to consider a replacement. Even if there are none of the other signs listed below, it’s better to look at upgrading now before you’re left in the cold and to the whims of an HVAC company. An upgrade will improve performance and save money over time. Heat Pumps are a modern, cleaner solution to replace your gas furnace with.

Uneven Room Temperatures

Do you notice that some rooms are much warmer or colder than others? This uneven heating is a common sign of an inefficient or failing furnace. If your furnace struggles to heat your entire home evenly, a new system can help eliminate cold spots and create a consistently warm environment. With a heat pump mini-split system, you can even choose which rooms you’d like to heat.

Unusual Noises

While furnaces make some noise during operation, excessive rattling, banging, or squealing sounds are abnormal. These noises could indicate issues with the blower, motor, or other components and suggest that your furnace is in need of a serious repair—or replacement. Our award-winning HVAC team can help you decide if your system is repairable or if we need to upgrade it.

Visible Cracks or Rust

If you see rust or cracks on the furnace, these are signs it’s time to replace your furnace. Rust, especially around the heat exchanger, can lead to carbon monoxide leaks—a dangerous risk to you and your family. With a heat pump system, you wouldn’t need to worry about dangerous air pollutants.

Frequent Repairs

Does it feel like your furnace is always in need of repair? Frequent breakdowns are a sign that your furnace is wearing out, and repair costs can quickly add up. At some point, replacing the furnace becomes more cost-effective than constantly fixing an outdated system.

Rising Energy Bills

An old furnace has to work harder to heat your home, leading to higher energy bills. If you’ve noticed a steady increase in heating costs, even with regular maintenance, a new furnace or an upgrade to a heat pump could help reduce those energy expenses.

Weak Airflow

Poor airflow can lead to reduced heating efficiency, making it harder for your furnace to keep your home warm. Weak airflow may indicate issues with the blower motor or ducts, both of which are challenging to fix in older systems. A new system will provide stronger, more consistent airflow.

Poor Air Quality

A furnace on its last legs may create dirtier air within your home. Dust, dirt, and other pollutants can accumulate within the furnace and ductwork, decreasing the quality of the air you breathe. Upgrading to a modern system, like a heat pump, can help improve air quality with advanced filtration options.

Why Heat Pumps Are Better Than A Gas Furnace

If it’s time to replace your furnace, a heat pump is the cleaner, energy-efficient alternative. Heat pumps work by transferring heat rather than generating it. They’re designed to both heat and cool your home, making them a versatile year-round solution.

Here’s why a heat pump is the perfect upgrade:

  • Energy Efficiency: Heat pumps are known for their high efficiency, which can save on energy costs over time. Some models can be up to 300% efficient, meaning they produce more energy than they consume.
  • Lower Carbon Footprint: Heat pumps run on electricity, which can reduce your home’s reliance on fossil fuels if paired with a renewable energy source. This makes them the best choice for the environmentally conscious homeowner.
  • Dual Heating and Cooling: Unlike a traditional furnace, a heat pump offers both heating and cooling capabilities. This means one system provides comfort in winter and summer, potentially reducing overall maintenance needs.
  • Improved Air Quality: Many heat pumps come with advanced air filtration, helping to improve indoor air quality by filtering out allergens, dust, and other pollutants.

Upgrading to a heat pump is a smart, energy-saving choice that improves comfort and reduces your environmental impact. With greater efficiency, better air quality, and year-round versatility, a heat pump is an investment that will benefit you long after your old furnace is gone.

If you’ve been noticing any of the signs above, it might be time to start considering your options. Whether you choose a new furnace or a heat pump, upgrading your heating system can make a world of difference in terms of comfort, savings, and peace of mind.

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Independent Power
Excellent
4.8
Based on 265 reviews
Brian and tj were very professional and had great customer service. They knew exactly what they were doing and are very knowledgeable of the equipment. What they installed works flawlessly and they left the site spotless
Response from the owner: Thank you for the great 5-star review, Cristi! TJ and Brian are great guys. Not only do they know their stuff, they also genuinely care about our customers. Thanks for choosing to work with us; we appreciate you! Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
Josh and team installed my home charger and did a great job! They were communicative and friendly, highly recommend and would use again! Thank you!
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Kelsey! We appreciate the shout-out to Josh and our team. We're lucky to have them on our team because not only are they professionals, they also care about helping people out. And congrats on your new charger! Your EV is going to be charged in record time now.Thanks again, please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
Josh did a great job installing our EV charger and some other electrical in our garage. Highly recommend.
Response from the owner: Thanks for the 5-star review, Dave! Josh is a masterful electrician, and we're happy he's part of our team. And, it's exciting to hear you've installed an EV Charger; you're vehicle will be juiced up in lightning speed now. Thanks again for the wonderful review. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
I wanted to expand my solar system and my previous provider was totally non-responsive. I found Independent Power when I was biding out the expansion. They have been very professional and timely throughout the entire process. They were able to integrate my old system into the new one with a powerwall. This is a quality contractor!! I would highly recommend them.
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Michael! How exciting that you expanded your solar and added battery storage. We love helping our customers gain energy independence, and we sure appreciate you taking the time to leave a detailed comment. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future!
Josh is amazing and we're grateful for being able to find him through Independent Power! He's been our go to guy for all of our electrical needs. I've used a lot of local electricians, trying to find the right company and people to service our needs. I had zero luck finding this until I got fed up with reaching out to my electricians for a follow up and started searching for another company and found Indepent Power.We are always blown away by his ability to meet the needs of our residents and company. He's always got a smile on his face, super easy to reach and very responsive. This is one of a few reasons I choose to use Independent Power for our needs. I would highly suggest them to anyone looking for an electrician. Very resonable prices, great customer service, the best at following up and always do a wonderful job. I wouldn't go with another company. They are simply the best!
Response from the owner: Wow, Melissa, thank you for this incredible 5-star review! Josh is truly a great guy that happens to be the best electrician. It's wonderful to hear how he's helped you and your residents out. We are lucky to have him as part of the Independent Power team. We appreciate you taking the time to leave a review and share your feedback. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
Dakota was communicative and on time. Always very helpful and respectful.
Response from the owner: Thanks for the 5-star review, Matt! Dakota is the best. His priority has always been our customers. His expertise in the HVAC field allows him to help people with everything from service to installation. We're lucky to have him on our team. We appreciate you taking the time to recognize Dakota!
Jan repaired our computer that runs our solar power. She was fast professional and knew what she was doing. I give her 5 stars
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Bruce. We're lucky to have Jan as part of the crew. She's passionate about helping customers, and about solar for everyone. We sure appreciate you and hope we can be of service in the future.
Independent Power finished the installation of our cold-climate heat pump on January 6, just about a week before the super cold, sub-zero temperatures hit. We knew it was going to be the first big test of the system, and I'm happy to say that it came through with flying colors! Our house stayed nice and toasty throughout the cold snap. We still have a gas furnace for part of the house, but we didn't even think of firing it up because we never needed it. Really impressed with the system's performance over the cold snap and in its first month of operation!Now a few words about the Company itself. My understanding is that IPS hasn't been doing heat pump installations all that long, but that they hired people with lots of previous heat pump installation experience. It sure seemed that way to me--the crew that installed our system, which was fairly complex, was really professional, highly skilled, and very responsive to my questions and requests. I gotta say, I was impressed with how quickly and efficiently the team worked.As I mentioned, our system is rather complex: part of it (our lower level and upper level) uses existing ductwork, and the other part (living room, kitchen, dining room) uses wall units. Based on my request, they installed the refrigerant lines in such a way that they are completely hidden. Originally the estimator had specified a route for the lines that would have had a lot of the lines outside the house and also would have required them to punch holes in the ceiling every few feet (which we would then need to repair at added cost). They accommodated my request for the alternate route, which made for a more difficult installation, but a much cleaner one.Another thing I'll mention is that the crew was very careful about cleaning up after themselves at the end of every day. They were all very polite and answered a lot of questions that I and my wife had. Definitely high marks for customer support!We needed an electrical upgrade to handle the extra power draw of the heat pump. The electrician came out in advance of the install to scope out the existing panel and plan the work. He told me exactly where he was going to run the lines and the new grounding system that we needed. His work was very clean and exactly as specified. Extra added bonus: now every breaker has a label describing the circuit that it serves! Plus, we now have a lot of extra capacity for any new loads in the future.I will say that there is a small learning curve with heat pumps. The working fluid doesn't get nearly as hot as a gas flame, so the system uses a slower fan speed and less air flow than a gas furnace. That means that it takes these systems longer to come up to a set point than a conventional furnace. So if you use a nighttime setback temperature, you probably don't want to let it drop as far as you did with your furnace because it will take longer to come back up to your desired temp in the morning. Even so, we've found that we can use a nighttime temp of 62 and unless it's brutally cold outside, the house is usually back up to 70 by the time we come downstairs around 7 am. Also, the user guide that comes with the Mitsubishi wall units leaves a lot to be desired. It can take a while to understand how to control the wall units so they perform the way you want, but we got the hang of it in a couple weeks.All in all, I'm a very satisfied customer and would strongly recommend IPS for your heat pump installation!
Response from the owner: Wow, Dan! We are so grateful for this 5-star review. Your level of detailed explanation on how the install went and the performance of your Mitsubishi heat pump system will help people who are considering a heat pump system what to expect from a system and what it's like to work with our team. It's exciting to see the Colorado Community making the switch to energy-efficient heat pumps and we love being a part of the movement.Please let us know if we may be of service for your future electrification/renewable energy projects.
A+ install experience for a 200A panel upgrade, heat pump, and mini split install. It's rare for a company to have both a stellar HVAC and electrical team. I'll absolutely be looking to Independent for future electrification jobs.
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Riley! We love helping our community switch to heat pumps and designing a system perfect for your needs. We'd be excited to help you with any projects you may have in the future.
TJ did a superb job. He was professional, courteous, and highly knowledgeable. He made sure everything was in working order before he left, and he was available for any questions I had on the new system. I highly recommend him and Independent Power to anyone looking for mini split installs!
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Kirsten! We sure appreciate the shout-out to TJ, we're lucky to have him on our team. And, we're excited that you installed a heat pump system! You will love the comfort they bring to your home. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
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Independent Power
4.8
Based on 265 reviews
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