Furnace Replacement in University City, MO. As the winter weather starts, you might be thinking about replacing your furnace. Maybe it’s keeping your house warm, but at a high cost; maybe you want to help the environment by reducing your carbon footprint; or maybe your home just isn’t as warm in the cold as you’d like it to be.
Replacing your furnace is a big decision, no matter why you’re doing it, and understanding the basics will help you with it. You’ll want to consider several details, and we’ll overview the most important components here, such as:
Whether your University City, MO home needs a furnace replacement or repair to keep you warm, SmartHouse Heating and Cooling has got your back. We take a customer-first approach with every house we visit, and we always make recommendations that we believe will work best for your home. We’re available to contact 24/7 – if you have a question, get in touch today by calling 314-644-1570, texting us at 314-310-2242, or reaching out online.
There are several clues that your furnace needs a replacement, and few of them will surprise you. The truth is, if there is any question in your mind, you need to call a local University City, MO HVAC contractor to inspect the furnace and provide guidance on how you should move forward.
The clearest indicator is performance. If your furnace is not keeping your home adequately warmed, even when it is functioning properly, a replacement may be necessary.
Another aspect to be aware of is the age – the average lifespan of a well-maintained furnace is 15-20 years, and while some can outlast that, they often need to be repaired frequently. Plus, older systems are often out of warranty, leaving you to pay the full cost when something fails.
If you’re already doing other HVAC upgrades, like extensive ductwork, replacing your old furnace at the same time provides you with a new, paired, and more efficient system that is covered by a comprehensive warranty.
To recap, you should consider replacing your furnace if:
Frequently, you can fix an older furnace, but repairs often are costly, and can add up with older systems out of warranty.
Repairs to older furnaces can be a bit of a gamble. The parts may be unavailable from the manufacturer, making them pricey. Plus, after the initial part is replaced, the technician may identify additional issues, resulting in further unexpected repairs.
If your older furnace is never running quite right — especially during the chilling University City, MO winters — it’s likely time to consider replacement.
Replacing your old furnace with a new one will improve performance and efficiency, helping you lower energy bills and shrink your carbon footprint, while increasing your comfort.
Upgrading also opens the door to smart thermostats, zoning systems, and variable speed motors for better control, plus you can consider replacing your furnace with a heat pump for unprecedented flexibility in your home’s heating and cooling.
Your new furnace will also have a comprehensive warranty, helping you save on parts and repair costs if something goes wrong in the future.
SmartHouse offers both furnace repair and furnace replacement services in University City, MO. Call us now at 314-370-1816, or reach out online to get started.
If you know it’s time to replace your furnace, but aren’t sure what to look for, here are a few things to keep in mind: efficiency ratings, gas vs. electric furnaces, and motor speed(s).
For gas, oil, or propane furnaces that burn fuel to make heat, energy efficiency is measured with the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) system. This is expressed as a percentage of how much fuel is converted to heat and how much is lost – an 80% rating means 80% of the fuel is turned into heat and 20% is wasted. A higher percentage means less fuel loss and in turn, less spent on fuel. AFUE is not used for electric furnaces because electric heating doesn’t involve combustion and has next to no heat loss.
Most traditional heating systems use either electricity or gas for fuel. Gas furnaces burn natural gas to create heat and rely on a natural gas connection and venting infrastructure. Gas furnaces with AFUE ratings of 90% and up are considered high-efficiency furnaces.
Electric furnaces use electricity to generate heat through resistance coils and may require an electrical upgrade, depending on your home’s current wiring. Because they don’t involve combustion, electric furnaces typically operate at or near 100% efficiency.
The number of motor speeds (AKA stages) your furnace has affects its ability to effectively warm your home:
Heat pumps both heat and cool your house in one device, rather than having separate systems for each. They work by moving existing heat into or out of your home, rather than making new heat through combustion.
Heat pumps perform in both steaming hot summers and freezing cold winters, a dichotomy that all University City, MO residents know only too well. During winter, heat pumps bring heat from outside your home to within, even in freezing temperatures. In the summer, the process is reversed as the heat pump transports the heat from inside your home to out.
Heat pumps present several edges over conventional systems, including:
The Daikin FIT heat pump features variable-speed inverter technology for efficient operations, highly accurate temperature control, terrific dehumidification during University City, MO’s steamy summers, and unintrusive noise levels.
Heat pumps can also perform in the same system as a gas furnace, in what’s called a “dual fuel system.” The heat pump takes care of all of your home’s cooling along with most of its heating, with the system automatically shifting to the gas furnace in extremely cold conditions, ensuring consistent warmth no matter how low the temperature drops.
Right now, we’re seeing the best deal we’ve ever seen for high-efficiency HVAC systems, due to intersecting incentives that can save you money in multiple ways:
On top of Ameren’s rebates, the federal government is offering tax credits for high-efficiency heating and cooling systems put in by December 31, 2025. Qualifying systems include high-efficiency central ACs, air source and ground source (geothermal) heat pumps, mini-split ACs or heat pumps, and smart thermostats (with installation).
Getting your new system installed right— fully code-compliant using industry best practices—means you’ll enjoy worry-free, energy-efficient comfort for years to come. That’s why hiring the right company is critically important.
At SmartHouse, we take care of everything – from finding the perfect system to fit your needs to expert installation and more! We want your experience to be easy and worry-free, focusing on open, clear communication, friendly, expert service, and results you can depend on for years to come!
At SmartHouse, we’re here to help you stay warm, improve your comfort, and keep your temperature costs down. When we first visit a house, our technicians ask, “What is the right thing to do?” before making any decisions. Let us make a difference in your home’s heating.
We also offer these services in University City, MO:
