By MyPros Staff

For anyone who thinks June is an odd time to call for furnace repair, San Francisco's weather has another think coming.  Mark Twain once said, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."  When the fog rolls in every afternoon in August, it can get mighty cold.  Because of the upside-down season, when it comes to furnace repair, San Francisco's heating season can be year round.  

How to save money on your heating bill in a situation like this?  If your furnace has broken down, the answer may just be looking you right in the face.  A new furnace will pay for itself in a few short years, depending on how old your current furnace is.

New furnaces are rated by Energy Star, and many of the ones manufactured today can be 90% or more efficient, compared with 70% for furnaces from the 80's and beyond.  The best way to tell is to check the furnace's Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating.  The higher the number, the more efficient the furnace is.  Not only that, but with a new furnace you could be eligible for $200-$300 in rebates on your heating bill with a furnace that has an AFUE rating of 92% or higher.  

Of course, there are other, less expensive ways to save on your heating bill:  perform regular maintenance on your furnace, change or clean the filter monthly during the heating season, have it serviced by a professional once a year.  

But to save the most money, you have to spend the most.  Make sure, however, that you have a qualified service professional install the new furnace.  Plenty of unhappy customer could tell you horror stories of they tried to install their furnace themselves, and instead paid a fortune in furnace repair.  

San Francisco's weather just won't seem as cold, with a new professionally installed furnace.