Building a Resilient Hailey – Fall Furnace Check!
If you use a furnace to heat your home, fall is a great time to think about steps that you can take to make your furnace run more efficiently, save money on energy bills, and make your home more comfortable and healthy during the colder months ahead.
There are different levels of maintenance and energy improvements that you can take with your furnace, each with different costs and payback periods. From changing a furnace’s filter, to sealing and insulating air ducts in your attic, each action below can help you save money, make your house more comfortable (think: less drafty, stays at the same temperature for longer, keeps the air cleaner), and most importantly, saves energy. Let’s take a look:
Furnace Heating: Maintenance & Efficiency Breakdown
| Cost Level | What It Includes | Typical Cost | Energy Bill Savings | Annual $ Savings* | Payback Period |
| Low-Cost (DIY / basic upkeep) | - Replace filters (1–3 months) - Clean vents/registers - Thermostat check |
$20–$100 / year | 3–5% | $36–$60 | Immediate (Energy bill savings will be greater than the cost, over a year) |
| Medium-Cost (Annual professional inspection & tune-up) | - Full furnace inspection - Burner & sensor cleaning - Lubrication - Combustion/CO safety check |
$100–$300 / year | 5–15% | $60–$180 | ~1–2 years |
| Higher-Cost (Comprehensive maintenance + upgrades) | - Annual inspection - Duct sealing/cleaning - Smart thermostat - Zoning controls / blower upgrade |
$500–$1,500+ (one-time or phased) | 15–30% | $180–$360 | ~3–5 years |
*Based on an assumed $1,200 annual heating bill. Adjust savings proportionally to your actual bill.
“I don’t have a furnace - I have electric baseboard heating. What can I do to save money and energy and create a more comfortable home?”
Great question – whether you own your home or you rent a space, there are steps that you can take and improvements you can benefit from as well:
Electric Baseboard Heating: Maintenance & Efficiency Breakdown
| Investment Level | What It Includes | Typical Cost | Energy Bill Savings | Annual $ Savings* | Payback Period | Renter Actions | Homeowner Actions |
| Low-Cost (DIY / habit-based) | - Vacuum dust from fins & covers - Keep furniture/curtains away - Seal drafts around windows/doors - Use space heaters selectively |
$20–$100 / year | 2–5% | $36–$60 | Immediate | - Clean baseboards - Weatherstrip windows/doors - Use heavy curtains at night |
- Same as renter - Add caulking/insulation where needed |
| Medium-Cost (Control upgrades & insulation) | - Programmable or smart plug-in thermostats - Thermal curtains - Area rugs (reduce heat loss through floors) - Targeted insulation upgrades |
$100–$500 (one-time or phased) | 5–15% | $60–$180 | ~1–3 years | - Install smart plug-in thermostats (often allowed) - Use insulated curtains/rugs |
- Replace wall thermostats with programmable/smart models - Add insulation (attic, crawlspace, outlets) |
| Higher-Cost (Major upgrades / system improvements) | - Whole-home smart thermostat zoning - High-efficiency electric or ductless mini-split heat pump conversion - Panel upgrades if needed |
$1,500–$10,000+ | 20–50% | $240–$600+ | 3–10 years | - Limited: may use portable plug-in heat pumps/ACs if allowed | - Replace baseboards with ductless mini-split system - Upgrade electrical + insulation for long-term savings |
*Based on an assumed $1,200 annual electric heating bill. Adjust proportionally.
Whether your home or apartment has a furnace or baseboard heating, uses electricity or natural gas, or you own the home or rent it, there is an option for you. Saving money on energy bills and making the home more comfortable impacts you, but making your home more efficient and preventing energy waste helps everyone. As we build more homes and buildings, have more appliances that we plug in, and use AI (artificial intelligence) for more and more things, we will need more energy and power. As each household and business does their part to be energy efficient, we will keep energy costs low, prevent losses in power, and minimize the need to build new power plants as much as possible. This also minimizes our greenhouse gas emissions, which is a critical step in preventing the most negative impacts of climate change.
If you have questions about your home’s energy use, or would like to be connected to more resources and information, email sustainability@haileycityhall.org.