As the most common heating units in San Francisco, gas furnaces are depended upon by many homeowners when the weather gets cold. While some areas of the country might boast harsher winters, a gas furnace in San Francisco is still a necessity on cold days from late fall to early spring and during cool evenings for a significant portion of the year. Keeping your gas furnace in good shape is, therefore, a priority not just to ensure efficient function, but for your comfort, as well. It is also important to know when to replace your furnace, and have an idea of what you can replace it with.
Replacing a Gas Furnace in San Francisco
San Francisco homeowners can, of course, opt for the most expensive and efficient model on the market just like anyone else in the country. However, from an investment stand point, the amount of money you save by installing an expensive gas furnace in San Francisco won?t be as much as the savings in an area where furnaces must run constantly for months at a time. Certainly, there?s no harm in buying an efficient furnace, and if your concern is more environmental than monetary, efficiency will undoubtedly be a factor. If you are looking for a furnace?s efficiency to pay for itself over time, however, you might be waiting a while.
San Francisco Gas Furnace Prices
The price of installing a San Francisco gas furnace is quite varied. In addition to the cost of the new unit you purchase (new furnaces can range from $1,000 to $6,000 or more), you?ll also have to take into account any alterations that need to be done to your heating system like duct or vent replacement. Some more involved jobs might require removing and replacing the entire duct system, which can raise the cost of the job considerably. According to our figures here at ServiceMagic, the national average cost of furnace installation is about $5,000. According to our figures in San Francisco, furnace replacement ranges from $2,500 to $12,000, with many jobs coming in between $4,000 and $5,000.
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Calling for Furnace Maintenance
As with any piece of machinery, the better you take care of your furnace, the more likely it is to reach its full life expectancy. If you notice poor performance or some other problem, it is in your best interests to get your furnace examined as soon as possible. To avoid large repair costs, it is recommended that you get your furnace examined annually. Though you can call for a furnace inspection any time you want, an examination before cold weather hits will identify any problems before you start depending on it for heat!
Heat Pumps: An Alternative to San Francisco Gas Furnaces
Due to the relatively mild temperatures all year round, there is another option for San Francisco furnaces in need of replacement. Heat pumps provide heat in the winter and cool air in the summer in just one unit. They have separate ratings for both their heating and cooling functions; some units are better suited to heating, while others are better coolers. Since heat pumps do not provide as much heat as a furnace or as much cool air as a traditional condenser, very warm or very cold areas might be better off with separate units for each function. However, in San Francisco, a highly efficient heat pump may be able to do a good job on both fronts!