Why Chicago Residents Are Switching to Energy-Efficient Heating Systems
Are you ready for higher electricity bills? You need to be because they’re slated to go up by about 10%. Switching to energy-efficient heating systems with Air Blue is one of the best ways to lower your bills and avoid struggling to keep up with rate increases.
More than half of the electricity generated in Illinois comes from nuclear power. Another 31.58% comes from fossil fuels, particularly coal. Only 13.53% comes from renewable resources like hydropower, solar, or wind. Thankfully, the state generates more than residents use, and keeping it that way is important.
There are plenty of questions regarding the effects of tariffs on energy costs in the U.S. If Canada reacted to future increased tariffs by stopping cross-border trade for things like energy, what happens to electricity costs? Some states are heavily dependent on Canadian energy. Less dependent states may be called upon to divert some electricity production to those states.
That’s not the main issue Chicagoans are facing. At the end of 2024, the Illinois Commerce Commission approved ComEd’s $605 million rate hike. This hike is slated to last through 2027, but that still means rates will increase by about $10 per month. The rate hike is to cover the increased energy consumption from new data centers being built in the area and across the U.S. Energy-efficient heating systems are the key to lowering your monthly bills.
Why Choose an Energy-Efficient Heating System?
Energy-efficient heating systems consume less energy, which means your utility bills are lower. You save money on electricity and heating fuels like natural gas or propane. Lower bills are one benefit, but there are others.
An energy-efficient system also reduces emissions. Energy Star reports emissions are around 34% lower. Your system uses less electricity or gas, so that’s one way it helps reduce your carbon footprint. Some systems, like a heat pump system, use heat transfer to warm or cool a home, which means you don’t need heating oils or gas at all.
Your heating system doesn’t need as much gas or electricity, so the demand for power plants decreases. Illinois gets a lot of its power through coal. As plants burn coal, hydrocarbons exit the facility and pollute the air.
Coal-burning power plants are one of the nation’s largest sources of particulate matter pollution, which impacts air quality and people’s health. It also releases heavy metals like mercury, and carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. Filtration helps capture some of those pollutants, but there’s always a risk of leakage from landfills and storage vessels.
Energy-efficient heating systems last a long time. They’re designed to be low maintenance and offer features that alert you to pending issues before they become a nightmare. There are on-board computers that give you an error code you can read to your technician for immediate answers. Sometimes, you can fix the issue with your technician’s over-the-phone guidance.
Another benefit of newer energy-efficient systems is the ability for technicians to look up your system and diagnose it remotely. If it’s a repair they can make from afar, you don’t have to rush home to meet your HVAC technician or take a full day off to learn it was a five-minute repair.
Those are reasons driving Chicagoans to upgrade to energy-efficient systems. There’s one more. You save money and help protect the environment, but you’re also enjoying a comfortable home environment. Who wants to come home on a brutally cold day to a heating system that’s struggling to keep the house warm enough? We know we like being warm and toasty when we’re at home.
How to Choose the Best System for Your Home
Choosing the best energy-efficient heating system is important. Sometimes, homeowners don’t know enough about their heating system to know what to shop for. They trust their installer to pick the right system. We have a guide to help you understand what you should be looking for and how to ensure you choose the right team to install and maintain your system.
See what rebates and tax incentives are available.
Budget is your primary consideration. If you can’t afford a $10,000 system, don’t agree to it. Make sure you have a clear budget in mind and tell your HVAC installer what that budget is. This gives you a starting point. With current tax incentives and rebates to help you save money, you might find a more expensive system is within reach.
The federal government offers tax credits if you purchase an Energy Star heating system. Additionally, your electric company may have additional rebates and discounts. For example, ComEd offers discounts of up to $1,400 on certain ducted heat pumps and up to $1,000 on ductless heat pumps. You must choose a heat pump trained contractor from ComEd’s database. Air Blue helps you qualify for these and other rebates and incentives.
Don’t oversize your system.
When choosing a heating system, you have to consider the system’s British thermal unit (BTU). Take your home’s square footage, ceiling height, and the local climate zone. You also must consider how insulated your home is. This results in a guide to the BTU per hour that best suits your home. You do not want the BTU to be more than 25% of the hourly peak demand.
Suppose the charts show that you need 68,000 BTU. You decide to go all out and get a system that’s more than you need figuring it will heat your home in record time. It’s also going to cycle off quickly. The sudden starts and stops lead to inefficient heating and excess wear and tear on your furnace or boiler’s fans or pumps. If it has too few, it’s going to keep running and never reach your desired temperature. It wastes energy.
Work with certified technicians.
Make sure you choose a certified installer. When the technicians are certified, they’ve gone through the best training possible and passed tests demonstrating their expertise. NATE certification is one of the most important.
NATE-certified technicians ensure the system installed in your home is the right size and installed properly to maximize energy efficiency. This means you get a system that works well and won’t quickly break down. They also have the expertise to ensure the repairs and installations are done right the first time.
Authorized dealers are also important. If the factory trusts an HVAC technician to install its systems, it’s because the technicians are trained to correctly install, troubleshoot, and repair the heating systems.
Air Blue Heat and Cooling has NATE-certified technicians and is a President’s Award-winning Carrier factory authorized dealer. We’re also members of ACCA and an Angi Super Service Award winner. Contact us to talk about your home and we’ll help you choose the right energy-efficient heating system.
