Is Your Furnace Ready for Winter?
New law requires furnaces with higher efficiency to be sold after May 1.
As temperatures drop this fall, homeowners will prep their furnaces for another Chicagoland winter. Homeowners should have their furnace cleaned and inspected at least once a year, before they know they need it. Effective May 1, a government rule will require homeowners to buy more efficient—and more expensive, furnace units. Homeowners will no longer be able to buy chimney-vented furnaces anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line. The new law will require installations of products with 90 percent efficiency or higher. Until then, homeowners can continue to purchase and install units with the average of 80 percent efficiency. The average life of a furnace is about 15 years. A well-maintained furnace, though, should last about 20 years. The …
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