Avoid furnace cleaning scams
The temperatures are dropping and area residents are starting to turn up the heat at night.
This is the time of year that many people get their furnaces cleaned and ready for winter.
To help residents, Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth Director Keith W. Cooley offers some tips so you don't get taken to the cleaners.
"While most mechanical contractors are reputable, the furnace 'scam artists' are on the move at this time of year," Cooley said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, hundreds of unsuspecting homeowners become victims of their fraudulent and unscrupulous activities," he said. "We are alerting consumers so they can stop the scam artists in their tracks."
In the past, the Department of Labor & Economic Growth Bureau of Construction Codes has been involved in cases where elderly residents have been scammed out of as much as $30,000 in needless heating and cooling equipment.
These situations can be avoided by knowing how to recognize questionable and potentially fraudulent contractors.
The Bureau of Construction Codes offers the following tips:
- Maintain and prolong your furnace by cleaning air returns with a household vacuum cleaner and checking the filter once a month and replacing it if necessary.
- Get your heating system thoroughly cleaned by a reputable, licensed, local mechanical contractor every two years.
- Get at least three independent written estimates from licensed local mechanical contractors if a furnace repair or replacement is recommended. If you subsequently sign a contract for work, make sure it stipulates that your final payment will be withheld pending mandatory inspection by the building department responsible for mechanical code enforcement where you live.
- Ask to see the mechanical contractor's license and write down the contractor and license number listed on it.
- Verify that the license is valid and holds the proper classifications for the work he or she will be conducting for you. You can check this information by visiting the Bureau of Construction Codes website at www.michigan.gov/bcclicense or by calling the Bureau's Mechanical Division at (517) 241-9325.
- Don't fall for telephone solicitations that offer "low-cost" or "free" furnace cleaning. Once in the dwelling, the worker will tell the homeowners their heating system has serious problems that require immediate attention.
- Don't sign a contract just because the worker says you face possible illness or death if the furnace isn't replaced immediately. If told your furnace threatens your health, ask for a written copy of the technician's test results and call your local gas company.
- Don't hire someone who comes to your door with a Shop-Vac vacuum offering to clean your heating ducts. It won't do the job. A proper cleaning requires a high volume vacuum system and maybe even a steam process.
Additionally, the Consumer Federation of America offers ways to keep cold air out; and smart purchases that save money.
Keeping The Cold Out
- Caulk and weather-strip around cold, drafty doors and windows.
- Check your attic and all accessible exterior walls in your basement or unfinished rooms to make sure they are well insulated. The attic and basement are generally the biggest culprits for air leaks.
- Make sure all ducts are properly sealed, particularly in areas where the ducts pass through unconditioned spaces. Sealing your ducts can save up to $150 annually on energy bills and help keep you from turning up the thermostat because of one cold room.
- Seal and weatherproof all exterior openings for plumbing, and electrical service, and look for other openings that let in unwanted cold air, such as gaps around chimneys, recessed lights in insulated ceilings nd unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets.
- Install your storm windows if you have them. Add them if you don't have insulated windows or purchase temporary plastic sheets to cover windows and doors not opened in the winter. If you're planning to replace old windows altogether, choose ones that have earned the Energy Star, the symbol for energy efficiency.
Smart Money Saving Purchases
- Install a programmable thermostat which will automatically adjust the temperature to meet your comfort needs efficiently during different times of the day and at night. A programmable thermostat can save you more than $100 a year.
- Replace your five most frequently used light fixtures, or the light bulbs in them with compact fluorescent ones to save more than $60 each year in energy costs. Their up front price is a bit more, but they will use two-thirds less energy and can last up to 10 times longer.
- Look for Energy Star qualified products and appliances for your home. Products that have earned the Energy Star meet strict energy efficiency criteria set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. They use less energy, help prevent air pollution and reduce energy costs in your home. Energy Star refrigerators, for example, use 40 percent less energy than standard models.
