Archive for category: Heating

Many of the factors behind home energy costs in Ontario are beyond our control. Natural gas and electricity are commodities, after all, and the rates change quarterly with supply and demand. That said, if you’ve found your heating bills unexpectedly high this winter, the problem could be closer to home.

A sharp increase in the cost of heating your home is often a sign that part of your heating system isn’t working as intended. Your heating bill could also be higher because your house isn’t keeping the warmth in as well as it used to (which means you’ll have the opposite problem come summer!)

If you can’t trace the increase to rising energy prices, and your heating demand hasn’t changed since last year, it’s time to look at other potential causes.

Your Heating System Isn’t Operating at Peak Performance

When you notice your heating bill’s higher than usual this year, the first question to ask is this:

How long as it been since your last furnace tune-up?

If you’re like most homeowners, you don’t think much about the inner workings of your home’s heating system. It either works, or it doesn’t. But there’s a lot going on beneath the surface: pipes, safety switches, venting, flame sensors and other components that work in tandem to produce a safe, steady supply of heat.

In that way, it’s not so different from your vehicle.

Even a top-performance sports car can only go so far before it needs a tune-up. If you find that a tank of gas isn’t taking your vehicle as far as it used to – that your car is suddenly less fuel-efficient – you know that it’s time to look under the hood.

The same goes for your forced air heating system. If part of the system isn’t functioning correctly, or an aging system hasn’t been properly maintained, it will lose its efficiency over time. And a sudden rise in your heating bills could be a warning sign for furnace issues.

WE CAN HELP WITH YOUR FURNACE

Warm Air is Escaping from Your Home

You might picture your house as a well-wrapped, tightly-sealed box. Truth is, there are numerous points throughout the home’s envelope that could allow air to leak through, and these gaps can contribute to rising energy bills.

Windows and doors are common culprits for heat loss. A single pane of glass can lose almost ten times as much heat as the same area of insulated wall – and it will lose even more if the frame isn’t properly sealed.

Other common leak sites include fireplace dampers, attic hatches, dryer vents, electrical outlets, and mail slots. According to ENERGY STAR, if you added up all the small gaps throughout a typical home’s envelope, it would equal the impact of leaving a window a wide-open all winter.

That’s a lot of wasted heat.

If your heating bill seems unusually high this year, and your home’s envelope has changed since last winter (you constructed a new wall or installed a new set of windows, for instance), you could be dealing with a substantial air leak.

Time for a Furnace Tune-Up

If your heating bill is higher than usual this year, it’s probably time for a tune-up.

Here in Ontario, heating accounts for two-thirds of the average’s family’s energy costs. Don’t let your equipment drive those costs even higher.

Investing in preventative furnace maintenance is the single best way to keep your system running efficiently. Learn more about what a professional furnace tune-up and safety check should include, or book your tune-up in the Greater Toronto Area today.

As the months get colder, the need for warmth rises. But what happens if your furnace breaks down? Before you can get it fixed, are you just expected to deal with the cold?

No, you are not! Thankfully, there are many ways to keep warm even without a furnace. Run down this list of ten clever ways to stay cozy if your furnace breaks down – and if your HVAC company doesn’t promise a 4-hour emergency service like us, keep these tips handy!

Leave the Oven Open

Cooking dinner or baking a delicious dessert? When you have finished, turn off the oven, but leave the door open. The heat you used to cook your food will stick around for a little while longer, so why not let it filter out of the oven and into the rest of your kitchen?

Close Unused Rooms

Do you have a storage room or unused guest space in your home? Close the vents in those rooms and keep the doors closed as much as possible. The more space you have, the harder it will be to heat your home (and maintain this heat) when the months get cold, especially without a working furnace. Making the space small even in simple ways like shutting doors of unused rooms can go a long way. Remember to also close the vents in those rooms, forcing the hot air into areas you want heated.

Layer on Layers

Of course, the old standby is to bundle up and add layers to your wardrobe to keep warm. Pull on a sweatshirt or sweater, wear a long sleeve shirt as well as an undershirt, thicker socks, et cetera. The more layers you wear, the more insulated you become.

Lay Down Area Rugs

If your home is full of tiles or hardwood floors, you are going to need some plush area rugs to help warm your space if the furnace breaks down. Area rugs work to help keep the heat from escaping your floorboards. In addition, they are much warmer to walk on than bare floors.

Start Moving

Staying still forces your body heat to leave you faster. Keep your core temperature up by exercising or just moving around a little. Your body will heat as a result and you will definitely thank yourself for that cozy feeling. Make this even more effective by raising your body temperature through movement, and then layering up so the heat cannot escape as easily.

Do Laundry

Yes, doing a chore like laundry can help you keep warm. Specifically, you should try doing your bedsheets just before you go to sleep one night, since the residual heat will help heat your body in turn. You can also try putting a sweatshirt in the laundry before pulling it on over your head.

Fill a Hot Water Bottle

Need warmth when you sleep? Fill up a hot water bottle or two and keep it under the covers wherever you need the warmth the most. The heat will eventually cover the whole area, but the highest concentration will be wherever you put the hot water bottle.

Drink a Hot Beverage

Drinking a hot beverage like hot chocolate, tea, or coffee can really help warm you up inside. Just pour your favourite coffee or teaand bask in the comfort and warmth. Keep the hot chocolate coming if you want to keep warm for an extended period.

Cover the Cracks

The cracks under doors, around the windows, and anywhere else in or around your home can make the heat drop dramatically. Thus, try putting a towel down to cover the cracks under the doors for various rooms in your home. Caulk your windows to help keep the heat sealed inside.

Snuggle in Sheets

Want to be warmer at night? Invest in higher quality bedsheets! Instead of a light cotton you might put on in the summer, try flannel or fleece when it’s cold outside. Snuggle up underneath the sheets and stay toasty warm as you sleep.

When we ask our customers why they decided to rent a furnace, they usually reply with one of two answers:

1. The low monthly cost of renting a furnace seemed more affordable than buying one up front.
2. Since the rental cost covered any potential repairs, renting a furnace gave them cost certainty and peace of mind.

Put in those terms, it’s easy to see why so many homeowners in Ontario choose to rent their furnace instead of buying. Cost and peace of mind are top-of-mind when it comes to any home investment, especially when one that involves your family’s safety and comfort in our cold winter months.

For homeowners who cannot afford to purchase a new furnace (or who plan to move), it feels like a way to give their family top-of-the-line comfort without the cost or commitment.

However, those same reasons are exactly why we advise everyone – whether they’re an AtlasCare customer or not – to think twice about renting a furnace in Ontario.

It’s not to say that buying a furnace is always the better choice. Every family’s circumstances are different, and there may be situations where renting a furnace for your home makes the most sense in the long run.

But we do believe that anyone thinking of renting a furnace should know exactly what the decision will mean for them.

We encourage you to take these things into consideration before you sign a furnace rental contract.

1. Renting a Furnace Rarely Saves Money

Furnaces aren’t cheap.

Though it might not look it on the outside, a furnace is an intricate piece of equipment – and they’re only becoming more complex as smart home and energy management technology continues to advance.

Families looking to upgrade to the latest in energy-efficient heating systems can expect to pay an initial sum well into four figures. For top-of-the-line custom comfort solutions, the costs can run even higher.

Compare that to the monthly cost of renting a furnace in Ontario (approximately $175 to $250, depending on the deal) and the rental option looks far more affordable. Plus, rental contracts often cover the cost of a maintenance call, meaning no surprise repair bills.

But when you consider that furnace rental contracts usually last for 12 to 15 years – and that the monthly cost remains constant – renting a furnace could end up costing thousands more than buying a furnace outright.

Consider what happens when one homeowner purchases an energy-efficient furnace for $5,000 while another signs a contract to rent the furnace for $175 a month. The renter pays less in the first two years, paying $2100 in year one and $4,200 by year two.

If the homeowner who rented a furnace sells their home (and escapes the contract) in year two, they can come out on top (assuming rental costs don’t increase, which they do on average 3.5% every year.) But if the renter remains in the contract by the middle of year three, the renter and purchaser are even – and at the end of that year, the renter is down by $1200.

By the end of the 10-year contract, the renter has paid more than twice what the purchaser did for the same piece of equipment and still doesn’t own a furnace unless they pay an additional buyout cost. That, combined with interest rates of 18-22% on the term of the contact, make renting a furnace for more expensive than buying one in the long run.

2. Renting is Not the Same as Rent-to-Own

Most of the furnace rental contracts out there are just that – rentals. The homeowner pays a monthly fee to use the equipment in their house, but the furnace remains property of the rental company.

In other words, the monthly rental fee doesn’t go towards paying off the furnace.

At the end of the contract, the homeowner is typically left with three choices:

1. Renew the lease agreement and reset the clock on the contract;
2. Pay an additional buyout fee to purchase the furnace; or
3. Pay a removal fee to get the furnace out of the house.

Considering many people who rent a furnace do so with the intention of saving money, none of these outcomes are favourable. 

3. Renting a Furnace Removes the Choice of Service Provider

One of the perceived benefits of renting a furnace in Ontario is that it often comes with cost certainty as to repairs and maintenance. Ideally, this would mean that if your furnace ever breaks down, the rental company (or another service company they’ve agreed to work with) will be there to help.

But what happens if all their service technicians are fully booked, and they cannot respond for days or their office is closed for the holidays?

Your first instinct might be to fire up a Google Search for another emergency furnace service provider – not realizing that the rental contract prohibits you from using another service company.

If another contractor so much as touches the equipment, it could have consequences. 

4. Renting a Furnace Makes it Harder to Sell Your Home

We mentioned in the example above that a homeowner who sells their home within the first few years of a furnace rental contract could come out on top in terms of costs.

Unfortunately, there’s a catch.

Savvy realtors are increasingly advising their clients against accepting the seller’s furnace rental contract when they purchase a home.

With the housing market cooling off, more and more buyers are insisting that sellers buy out of the rental contract as a condition of the sale. Essentially, renting a furnace decreases the value of your home – or at least makes it harder to sell. It takes what should be a four-figure asset and turns it into a potential liability.

First-time home buyers are especially vulnerable to this trap, since they’re most likely to move within the duration of the rental contract. 

5. Renting a Furnace Can Impact Your Home Equity

Suppose that you have the sudden need to make extensive renovations on your home. Many homeowners in the Greater Toronto Area found themselves in this situation after their homes were damaged by floods in 2017, for example.

One possible recourse in these circumstances is to borrow against your home equity. But what if you discover that your equity is $8,500 more than you thought it was – all because of a furnace rental?

That’s what happened to one homeowner who tried to get a second mortgage after signing a lease with a major furnace company.

Many homeowners don’t realize how renting a furnace can impact their home equity. Rental contracts often register a lien or another form of interest (like a notice or lease of chattel) against the homeowner’s property to protect the company’s interest. It’s a big price to pay for short-term cost certainty.

Why Are Furnace Rentals So Common in Ontario?

In this post, we’ve discussed many of the ways we feel that homeowners end up on the losing end of a furnace rental contract. We also mentioned two of the main reasons why people sign onto these contracts: affordability and peace of mind.

However, there is one other reason why leasing furnaces and other home comfort equipment has become commonplace. Many newly-built homes are sold with these leases from day one.

So, if renting a furnace comes with so many pitfalls, why do so many new home builds come with a lease?

The answer is simple: it allows home builders to reduce the costs of building a home without having to reduce the asking price. Buyers don’t feel like they’re being sold a house without a furnace, and builders don’t have to invest in installing one outright.

These kinds of details are often overlooked in the fever of a housing market boom. Unfortunately, they can also trap buyers in an unfavourable position when it comes to their home’s most important equipment.

Alternatives to Renting a Furnace in Ontario

At AtlasCare, we believe it’s always important to own your own home comfort assets. It adds equity to your home, saves money in the long run, and allows the freedom to choose who services your equipment.

Still, we acknowledge that a furnace is a major purchase, and not everyone can afford to purchase new equipment outright.

That’s why we offer a number of finance options for furnace installation. Unlike rental contracts, financing agreements don’t lock homeowners in to an excessive 12 to 15-year term with an expensive buyout.

We also endorse the SNAP Home Finance program, which provides a line of credit to finance heating, cooling and ventilation equipment upgrades. AtlasCare has worked with SNAP customers for years and found it to be an efficient, consumer-friendly program.

If you’re not sure which route is right for your family, we’re always happy to sit down and help you explore the options. Call us at 647-952-2012 or contact us any time online.

Another Thanksgiving Day is now behind us and that means another Ontario winter is on the horizon. It’s time to start thinking about how we will keep our homes warm for the winter without busting our budget. Fortunately, there are a number of things we can do to effectively accomplish that goal.

1. Turn Your Thermostat Down

You may have flashbacks from growing up about a parent obsessing over who can touch the thermostat, but the fact is that setting your thermostat to a lower temperature saves energy.

Bundle up a bit more or use an extra blanket. Heating your home to a lower temperature is one of the top ways to save energy.

2. Use a Smart or Programmable Thermostat

If you have not yet upgraded to a smart or programmable thermostat, now is the time to do so. Both of these options make environmental control of your home a snap, allowing for precise control of temperature at any time of the day.

With a smart thermostat, you don’t even have to be present. Simply make adjustments using your computer or smart phone.

3. Switch from Electric to Gas

An electrically heated house (baseboard heaters) tends to cost more than gas furnaces for the same amount of heating. Talk to your local natural gas supplier about converting your house over to that system. The upfront cost of that investment might seem a bit intimidating, but when you do the math, it will become clear just how much money you can save and how quickly that new furnace will pay itself off.

4. Replace/Fix Damaged Seams

Drafts can come from all over your home, so inspect the exterior from top to bottom. You should address what needs to be replaced (e.g. leaky or broken windows, damaged vents), and seal up any holes or cracks with insulating sealants. Be thorough: if cold air can find a way in, it is going to cost you money.

5. Seal Your Windows

Once you have finished your inspection of the outside, take a close look at your windows. Even if you have sealed up the cracks, it is sometimes still possible for air to get in. You can reduce that leakage to almost nothing by sealing up the windows with plastic film.

6. Keep Doors and Windows Closed

Coming off of a nice summer and an especially warm fall, it is important that your family quickly get out of the habit of leaving the windows and doors open. Also, make sure that there is no clutter at entry points that can block a tight seal. Note that locked windows seal tighter, so make sure that all the ones that can open are properly secured.

7. Adjust Door Thresholds

Another part of your draft eradication project is to make sure that no air is leaking in under the doors. Even if you can’t feel a draft, turn off the lights in the room, lie on your side, and see whether any daylight is visible under the door; if there is light, you’ve got a leak.

You can easily fix this by checking the door thresholds. Some are adaptable; if yours are, simply adjust the screws and raise them up until you can’t see any light coming through.

8. Close Vents and Doors to Unused Rooms

We use some rooms in a home more often than others. There is no reason to heat those other rooms as much as high traffic areas, such as the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms. Keep vents and doors closed to seal in what little heat those other areas require.

9. Use the Sun

The sun is a natural heat source that is a home comfort nemesis during the summer, but can be a free ally when the year is coldest. Simply keep your blinds open during the day and closed at night.

10. Use Portable Heaters

If there are areas in your home that you only use on occasion and for limited amounts of time, portable heaters can be a cost-effective choice as they only heat the room you’re in. Keep the heat off in these rooms the rest of the time.