Heating

Heating Services We Offer

You’ll find that we can take care of any service you require or system you need:

• Heating Repairs & Maintenance
• Heating Installation & Replacement
• Furnaces
• Boilers
• Radiant Heating Systems
• Heat Pumps
• Ductless Systems

How to Choose the Right Heating System for Your Home

There are many more options for heating systems than there are for air conditioning systems, and this can make choosing the right one feel complicated. It doesn’t have to be, since you can call our expert team to assist you with making the decision. Here’s a short rundown on the basic types of heaters we install.

Furnaces

The most common type of heating system found in the US. Furnaces operate from either gas or electricity, so it’s easy for our technicians to find a furnace to match almost any home. Gas furnaces are especially popular in Colorado because of their high heating capacity that can overcome any cold. Electric furnaces are among the more affordable choices for heating, although they can become more costly to run.

Boilers

Using heated water is still a popular way to deliver warmth to a home. Boilers are excellent for homes that don’t already rely on ductwork for a forced-air system like a furnace or heat pump. They have other benefits as well: longer service lives, lower repair needs, and an even spread of heat through rooms.

Heat Pumps / Ductless Heat Pumps

A heat pump takes the power of an air conditioner and adds a twist: it can also run in reverse and move heat into your home. Heat pumps are convenient and have great energy efficiency—although in extreme weather they may lose some energy efficiency. We also install ductless heat pumps, which are an alternative for new construction or for homes that lack ductwork.

Radiant Heating

This is a type of heating that comes from raising the temperature of an object in the room and letting heat waves spread through the space. Boilers provide this type of heating, but you can also have special in-floor heating installed. Radiant heating is efficient, and many people enjoy the feeling of it compared to forced-air heating.

Common Heating Problems We Repair

One of the most important parts of our job as HVAC contractors serving Northern Colorado is taking care of malfunctioning heating systems for our customers. We understand that when a heater starts to fail on one of the coldest nights of the year, it can trigger serious panic. The Affordable Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. team offers emergency service to ensure you get a fast response when you have heating trouble.

Below are a few of the more common heating issues we tackle for customers each year:

• Short-cycling: Common with heat pumps, but it may occur with furnaces as well. The heating system starts to turn on and off rapidly, never completing a full heating cycle. This places immense strain on the system, raises utility bills, and prevents the heater from warming the entire home.
• Poor airflow: For forced-air systems, trouble with the blower assembly or clogged filters can lead to a drop in air pressure and airflow out of the system.
• Delayed/failed ignition: A trouble gas furnaces often encounter where the burners either take too long to light (often causing a boom sound), light but then immediately go out, or won’t light at all. As with any gas furnace repair, you must leave the work in the hands of certified technicians.
• Uneven heating: This can occur with any type of heater. You find rooms around the house aren’t getting the heat they usually receive. This might indicate a general drop in heating capacity or several other problems. It takes professionals to do a proper diagnosis and locate the source.
• Miscalibrated thermostat: Sometimes the trouble is as basic as a thermostat that’s reading incorrect temperatures. We can easily fix this with a thermostat recalibration.

Why Schedule Regular Heating Maintenance for Your HVAC System?

The most important service you can have for your heating system, no matter the type, is regular professional maintenance. This is an annual visit (bi-annual for heat pumps) from expert technicians where they inspect, clean, and tune-up the heater to prepare it for the coming winter. We offer maintenance through our special Planned Maintenance Program, and we highly recommend you join because the benefits of regular maintenance are immense:

• Improved energy efficiency: We’ll keep your system running smoothly, reducing energy consumption and lowering your monthly utility bills.
• Fewer breakdowns: We do early detection of potential issues so you can get ahead of costly repairs.
• Extended equipment lifespan: Regular care prolongs the life of your heating system. In fact, without maintenance, your heater might last only a little more than half its estimated service life.
• Better safety: Professionals ensure components like heat exchangers and gas lines are in safe working condition. This is especially important for gas heaters, but safety applies to all heaters in some fashion.
• Consistent comfort: Well-maintained systems heat your home more evenly and reliably.
• Maintains warranty coverage: Many manufacturers require routine maintenance to keep their warranties valid. You don’t want to lose this vital consumer protection.

Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Heating System

If you keep current with maintenance for your home’s heater through our Planned Maintenance Program, you can expect to get a good, long service life from it. But maintenance, and repairs, have a limit. Eventually, a heater will wear down to the point where maintenance won’t do much good and repairs become prohibitively expensive. This is the time to decide on a replacement system.

You can also trust Affordable Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. when you need a professional opinion about replacing your heater. Below are some signs to watch for that will warn you a replacement is in the near future.

• Age of the system: Estimated life expectancy for heaters varies depending on the type. For example, a gas furnace that’s older than 15 years may be ready for replacement. Heat pumps average 10–15 years, while electric furnaces and boilers can often make it past 20 years. Keep the age of the system in mind as you look over the other factors.
• Frequent and costly repairs: Constant breakdowns or costly repairs can indicate a system nearing the end of its lifespan. You don’t want to have to repair your heater every year. Watch for the cost of the repairs as well, as you don’t want to pay for any repair that’s more expensive than half the cost of getting a new heater.
• Rising energy bills: A noticeable increase in energy costs may suggest that your system is losing efficiency. This tends to happen during the last 1–2 years of a heater’s life, even if it’s had diligent maintenance.
• Uneven heating: Inconsistent temperatures throughout your home can signal that your heater is struggling to maintain warmth. This is often one of the big signs of a dying heater. We recommend bringing in professionals to investigate and give you a professional opinion.
• Strange noises: Unusual sounds like banging, clanking, or grinding can indicate serious problems that might warrant replacement. The louder and more persistent the sounds, the more likely you’ve got a heater that’s too worn down to keep.
• Yellow flame: If you have a gas furnace and notice a yellow flame instead of blue, it may indicate incomplete combustion, requiring immediate attention.
• Frequent cycling: If your heating system turns on and off frequently, it could be a sign that it’s too worn down. Sometimes this can be repaired, but you’ll want to be certain.

We know it’s tempting to try to soldier on with your heating system even when it’s showing signs of decline. We strongly recommend you take a proactive approach and have the heater replaced. You’ll start saving money right away on improved efficiency, you won’t have the same worries about an abrupt mid-winter breakdown, and you’ll also have a safer home.

How to Improve Heating Efficiency and Reduce Utility Bills

Heating a home in Northern Colorado can get expensive. The winters are long and cold, and there’s only so much you can keep the heater off before it becomes impossibly cold in your house. However, you may be paying more to heat your home than you need to. We have some tips for better heating efficiency that will result in lower bills.

• Keep the thermostat set around 68°F during the day when people are home. At other times, lower it by approximately 8°F. This will not reduce the amount of time the heater has to run, it will slow down the loss of heat to the outdoors.
• Always change the air filter on your furnace or heat pump every 1–3 months. If this filter remains in place and becomes clogged, it will force the heater to work harder.
• Keep current with annual/bi-annual maintenance. This is the best way to ensure an efficient heater, along with all the other maintenance benefits.
• Act fast when you suspect a repair issue with your heater. It’s a question of safety, but also one of energy efficiency—a malfunctioning heater will usually drain more power to run.
• Invest in newer energy-efficient heating systems like high-efficiency gas furnaces or ductless mini split heat pumps.

If you think your heating bills are too steep, please call Affordable Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. We’d love to help you solve the problem and find out what will get your heating costs under control. Your home is your haven, and you deserve to live there comfortably—and affordably!

Trust to the Local Heating Pros

We are the trusted authority for heating Northern Colorado homes, and we’ve earned this reputation over more than three decades of service. We’re proud to be a locally owned company because it means we understand what homes in the area need to stay warm at an affordable price. We’re confident that we can build you a heating system that’s efficient and cost-effective. There’s no reason to settle for anything less than the best when you have Affordable Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. around.

No matter if you’re hunting for the perfect new gas furnace for your home, you have a faulty heat pump that needs immediate attention, or you want to schedule routine service for your boiler, you can put your full faith in our trained and expert team. Every day we wake up with one goal in mind—providing service that exceeds your expectations!

We serve Weld and Larimer Counties, Greeley, Fort Collins, Windsor, Loveland, and many more - check out our service areas page to see if we serve you.