If your home has a boiler and it's not working properly, you'll want to consider your options. In the middle of the southeast Virginia heating season, however, you don't have much time to make your choice between retrofitting or
replacing your heating equipment. Here are three key things that you should consider when deciding to improve or replace your home's boiler system:
1. Age – On average, a residential boiler is built to last between 15 and 30 years. If your unit still has some good years left, you may benefit most from a retrofit, which will be less expensive than replacement and can help increase your system's life span. If your system is nearing the upper range of its expected life span, and is experiencing operational or efficiency problems, then replacement is probably the right choice.
2. Efficiency rating – Do you know the AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating of your current boiler? AFUE measures the amount of fuel in a boiler or furnace that gets converted into heat for your home. If your reliable HVAC technician can take steps during the retrofit that will significantly increase the AFUE of your boiler system, this is probably the better choice, since it will save you on the cost of an entirely new system.
3. Condition – Even if your boiler still has a few good years left before its projected retirement age, without proper maintenance, its life span may have been reduced. HVAC equipment requires annual
preventive service, and neglect can take its toll. If you know for a fact that your older boiler system hasn't been maintained properly through its service life, then replacement is probably the way to go.
For advice on deciding whether retrofitting your boiler is the best option for your home, please contact us at
Russell's Heating and Cooling. We've been serving the Hampton Roads area since 1977.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Chesapeake, Virginia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about Boilers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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