Are you on the fence about buying a new heater? It's better to make your decision NOW! After July of 2019 it will cost you quite a bit more...here’s why!

New Government Regulations Are Going to Increase the Cost of Replacing Your Heater!

5 years ago the Department of Energy (DOE) established a new standard requiring higher efficiency fans in residential heaters as part of its Energy Conservation Program. This “new standard”, called a maximum fan energy rating (or FER) goes into effect this July and it's going to raise the costs of a new heating system...that’s a fact!

We now understand that this regulation will increase the cost of a new heating system by as much as 10 - 18 percent! Regardless of manufacturer, this could increase the purchase price of a new heater by as much as $400.00!

What does it mean when you are told you have a cracked heat exchanger?

Most furnaces that blow hot air through your registers have a heat exchanger that separates the combustion gases from the air that goes through your house. The combustion gases are exhausted outside through a chimney or through other approved venting material and include, water vapor, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and deadly carbon monoxide, soot and other combustion by products.

A cracked heat exchanger is a generic term indicating that there is a defect in the heat exchanger and gases are (or could be) seeping into the air inside your home. Unfortunately, there is no real way to repair the heat exchanger — these are manufactured in a factory to the manufacturer’s specifications. Any attempted repair would void all warranties and place all liability on the contractor (or their staff). In addition, insurance companies will not allow contractors to take that responsibility.

How does this affect your family?

It doesn’t happen often, but South Jersey does get extreme cold snaps. The current cold snap is a severe one and may continue to ebb & flow for several more weeks. Extreme cold can cause a variety of problems for homeowners trying to stay warm or simply just comfortable. Here’s how to get through it!

Forget about using the setback option on your thermostat or turning it down at night...

Put your thermostat on "hold" to keep the temperature steady. If you turn your thermostat down, you may not get it back to where you like it (or feel comfortable) if the thermostat has to catch up...and the relatively minor savings may backfire!

Your thermostat is NOT like a car accelerator...

Turning your thermostat up more will not get your home warmer, quicker. Like the chicken cooker—set it & forget it!

In late September of this year, we launched our Ugliest Heater Contest. Of all the great submissions, five finalist were chosen and voted on by the public. Of those five finalists, one winner was announced. That winner was Eileen of Somers Point.

Although Eileen had an overwhelming amount of the votes to win the contest, she also had a back story that we felt we needed to share; given the nature of her ordeal! Take a moment and read Eileen's story...

Here's a brief summary of Eileen's story BEFORE she had heat...

Eileen purchased her house in Somers Point in October 2016. By the end of the first year, her heater failed and she was left with NO heat! When asked about how the heater could fail so quickly in a house that she just purchased, Eileen explained, "Yes I had a home inspection, and yes, it passed. But if I would have been more aggressive, I would have known the heater was 35 years old. I was too naive and being a widow, I didn't know what to ask." Unfortunately, this happens all to often...but Eileen's woes were just beginning...

When I woke up the other day, the temperature outside was in the 20's! I quickly realized winter is here; even though the winter solstice (the official start of the winter season) does not occur until Friday, December 21st this year. That's almost a whole week away and yet I was already feeling the cold!

Can you imagine what it would be like to walk over to your thermostat and NOT be able to turn your heat on? Well, for many of our friends, neighbors and relatives this is a reality that they will need to face everyday this coming winter...sad I know!

At Comfort Now, we are hoping to change that reality for at least ONE family that has fallen on hard times in the Atlantic County or Cape May County area (and maybe save a few dozen more as much money as we can) - let me tell you more...

When I look back at a little gesture we decided to begin in 2014, I'm reminded of some of the great people we were able to help get heat for the holidays! This year is no different. We are looking to give away another FREE heater this holiday season.

Do you know someone who has fallen on hard times and may be in desperate need of a NEW Heater in the Atlantic County or Cape May County area?

Last year, it brought our team to tears when we presented 82 year old Joe Gallagher of Rio Grande, New Jersey a new heater. Joe and his son were selected as the winners of our 2017 Holiday Heater Giveaway. Joe, a Korean War Navy Veteran, was overjoyed to learn he and his 58 year old handicapped son would be the 2017 recipient of Comfort Now’s Holiday Heater Giveaway. Watch this short video to see Joe's reaction when we told him about getting his FREE heater...

Each November, we set aside a day to honor those who have bravely served our country as a member of our United States Military...this day is Veterans Day!

Veterans Day began as “Armistice Day” in November of 1919 which was the first anniversary of the end of World War I. In 1926, Congress passed a resolution outlining an annual observance to honor our military. Nearly 12 years later (in 1938), November 11th was chosen to become a national holiday - now called Veterans Day.

How do we honor our veterans?

Well at Comfort Now, we are offering ALL veterans and the families of active duty military service personnel in the Atlantic County or Cape May County area a coupon for a FREE service call. That's right...I said FREE!

After receiving almost 400 total votes in our Ugliest Heater Contest, it’s time to announce our 2018 WINNER! Our contest began back in late September and during the submission process, we had 28 Atlantic County and/or Cape May County residents submit many very interesting pictures of some of the ugliest heaters we have ever seen for our 2018 contest!

Although this year's submissions were fantastic, our team had the difficult task of narrowing down the list to select 5 residents of Atlantic County and/or Cape May County as finalists to win a NEW Heater. The finalists were selected from the numerous submissions and then voted on by the public. After a week long voting process where 396 folks from all across the area entered a vote for their favorite finalist, a clear winner was determined...

Our Ugliest Heater Contest is back for the 2nd year and we have selected our five finalists…it’s now time for you to vote for a 2018 WINNER! And if you do vote, you can earn $50.00 towards any service offered by Comfort Now...here’s what you need to know!

After careful consideration, our team has selected 5 residents of Atlantic County and Cape May County as finalists to win a NEW Heater. The finalists were selected from numerous submissions and now it's time for you, the public, to cast your vote for the person or family with the ugliest heater from the submissions below. Each submission was asked to tell us why they feel they should win, here’s what they said in their own words...

It’s been almost a year since we awarded Chris Koelle of Mays Landing a NEW Heater for having the oldest and ugliest heater submitted to our team and voted on by our loyal friends and followers! And we are ready to do it again...

Chris and his family spent the winter of 2017-2018 in complete comfort with a new heating system awarded to him after submitting his entry in our 2017 Ugliest Heater Contest. Once he submitted his entry, he was selected as one of our five finalists; which then went on to the public voting round of the competition. Although it was close, Chris edged out his competition with 97 votes to become the public’s choice for a new system.

Chris and his family will enjoy their new heating system for years to come. We were so happy to provide this awesome family a new heater just before the cold winter months of 2017 that we decided to make this competition an annual event! Are you ready to win a new heater before the winter of 2018?