Preparing for Your Big Day

Posted on: 16 March 2023

Ensuring your tenants have a functional heating system is a requirement for property owners anywhere in the country. Old, outdated, and malfunctioning heating systems can quickly cause rental units to become uninhabitable, so it's essential to maintain and repair the systems on your properties. However, even routine maintenance can't keep a system running forever. 

Frequent repairs will inevitably lead to tenant complaints and expensive emergency HVAC visits. Once these costs begin to mount, replacing the old system on your property will usually be the cheaper and more effective option. These three tips will help you select a system that's as cost-effective as possible while still meeting your tenant's heating needs.

1. Evaluate Your Current Equipment

The cheapest option will usually be a like-for-like replacement. If your property uses forced-air heating with a gas furnace, sticking with a gas furnace will often save you the most money. While there may be some advantages to switching to another fuel source, you'll likely save the most on your installation costs by making as few changes as possible.

However, you should also have a skilled HVAC contractor carefully examine other elements of your system. If your ductwork (or plumbing for hydronic systems) has any existing issues, you may want to address these while replacing your heating equipment. Taking care of these issues while you already have contractors on-site is often cheaper than waiting for future failures.

2. Use a Reliable, High-Quality Brand

While property owners can often handle many tasks, HVAC equipment selection and installation aren't among them. Installing your new heating system will require trained technicians, but selecting an appropriate brand can also be challenging. Online and user reviews often won't tell you the entire story and can even be misleading.

However, local installers often have a good feel for the overall dependability of different brands. Since you want to minimize future tenant complaints and emergency heating visits, you should work with your contractor to select a high-quality and reliable brand for your property's new furnace or boiler. This approach ensures your new heating system will be as trouble-free as possible.

3. Consider a Long-Term Maintenance Contract

Poor maintenance habits can quickly cause even a new heating system to become problematic and unreliable. Since installing new heating equipment to your property is a major investment, the best way to minimize long-term costs is by ensuring your system can operate reliably for as long as possible. Ignoring critical maintenance can lead to expensive repairs or even premature failures.

Many installation contractors offer long-term maintenance contracts that cover yearly check-ups and inspections, helping to ensure your system is as well-maintained as possible. Signing an ongoing maintenance contract is an excellent way to ensure you get the highest possible return on your investment.

Learn more about heating replacement solutions.