Should I Turn My Furnace Off Over The Summer?

What you need to know

Not many of us are thinking about our furnaces right now as summer is in full swing.

But you may have given it a thought. Specifically, you may be wondering if you should turn your furnace off for the summer season.

Before you make your decision, we have some information for you to mull over.

What does turning off the furnace mean?

You may think that by turning your thermostat to “Cool” that you’ve turned off the furnace. You haven’t. You’ve stopped the furnace from running, but it’s still on. If your furnace is 15 years old or older, it has a pilot light. That pilot light is still on, which means your furnace is using energy you have to pay for.

Do you really have a furnace?

The word “furnace” is often used to describe any type of home heating system. All furnaces are heating systems but not all heating systems are furnaces.

A furnace uses forced air to heat your home. Boilers heat your home using water.

How can you tell which you have? If you have vents, you have a furnace. If you have radiators or baseboard heating, you have a boiler.

If you have a boiler, DO NOT turn off the pilot light! The metal in a boiler shrinks when the unit gets cold. That can cause leaks and damage in your heating system.

Why should the pilot light stay on?

• You won’t save much money (maybe $50) by turning it off during the heating off-season.
• Summer nights here in the Hudson Valley and Catskills region can still get cool. If they get a little too cool, you’ll have to relight the pilot to keep your home warm.
• Your pilot must stay lit if you have an indirect water heater. If the pilot’s off, hope you enjoy cold showers.
• You’ll have to relight the pilot in the fall.

Why should the pilot light be turned off?

• Depending on fuel costs and the condition of your furnace, your savings could be much more than the $50 estimate.
• Moisture is a natural side effect of the combustion process. Keeping the pilot light on risks rust and erosion in your furnace happening much faster.

Fill your heating oil tank now so you’ll be ready no matter when you need your furnace! Place your order with Resnick Energy today.