It's that time of year again: Some Chico area homeowners are getting an unexpected “gift” for Christmas or the new year.

The box is so big that it takes several technicians from Experts in Your Home to carry it indoors. But the anxious faces around us tell us this is no time to exult, “Ho, ho, ho!” – not when our guests are probably thinking, “Oh no! Oh no!”

Hold the “bah-humbugs!”

If we've seen it once, we've seen it a hundred times: a homeowner faced with a cracked heat exchanger is forced to replace the furnace at the end of the year. This major expense never comes at a “good” time, but the holiday season is arguably the worst.

While the Experts do everything we can to make this major household investment affordable for our customers, we think the second greatest gift we can give at this anxious time is reassurance that investing in a new furnace results in some impressive benefits.

The Bright Side of Getting a New Furnace

You've heard of the “12 Days of Christmas.” Now consider “10 Reasons to Look at the Bright Side” if a furnace is unexpectedly landing in your stocking. A new, energy-efficient furnace will provide:

• Safety from a cracked heat exchanger, which poses an extreme fire and carbon monoxide hazard. The safety risks are so great that the Experts have no choice: we shut down these furnaces immediately.
• Greater reliability. Furnaces are generally solidly built, but when they falter, they do so in a big way. A Consumer Reports study found that 77 percent of faltering furnaces need “significant” work. A new furnace frees you of this worry.
• Cost savings: The Experts can help you determine how much your new furnace should save you on your energy bills; the amounts can vary widely. But the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that many homeowners spend about $75 less on heating after buying a new furnace.
• Comfort control. Expect a new furnace to produce more consistent temperatures room to room and better humidity control.
• Better air and better air flow: Better regulated temperatures also help fight air impurities and prevent mold, resulting in better indoor air quality.
• Greater longevity. This benefit hinges on maintenance. But assuming you schedule a yearly furnace “tuneup” with the Experts, check your filter every month and replace it when it's dirty, your new furnace should age gracefully -- until it's known as your “old” furnace.
• Quieter operation. You'll hear them turn on, alright. But highly efficient furnaces function like the gears of a new car: so smoothly and effortlessly you may have to strain to hear them.
• A programmable thermostat. The Experts were early proponents of programmable thermostats for the cost savings they produce, especially in zoned houses. Now the thermostats come standard with energy-efficient furnaces.
• Environmental rewards. A fossil-fuel-burning device like a furnace will never be considered “green.” But if you're environmentally conscious, you'll be glad to know that today's high-efficiency furnaces burn about one-third less fuel than their predecessors.
• Added value to your home. A furnace is one of those “big-ticket items” that prospective home buyers evaluate when they're considering purchasing a home. Even if you have no plans to move, you're smart enough to know that plans can change. If they do, you'll be ready to offer a distinct advantage.

Call the New Furnace Experts

If your furnace isn't warming your home as it once did or, worse, is making banging, clanking or clicking noises, call Experts in Your Home. Your furnace may need only a cleaning or a quick repair. But if it turns out that you need a new furnace, we'll help you think of this unexpected “gift” as one that will “keep giving” for months and years ahead.