Our 2008-2009 Contest:
Who Has the Oldest Furnace?

See the flyer (PDF)

Empire Heating & Air held a contest to find the oldest operating furnace in Metro Atlanta. The winner: a vintage 1939 gravity furnace, original to the house, that used enough energy to heat two homes! Empire replaced the furnace, for free, with a brand new American Standard 95% efficient variable speed furnace – neat, clean, safer, much more efficient, and about half as large as the antique it replaced.

"The contest was an eyeopener,” says Empire President Martin Hoover. “It’s amazing how many homeowners still rely on old, inefficient and sometimes hazardous furnaces to heat their homes. Almost all the entries we examined had extremely inefficient units using as much as 80% more energy to heat their homes than a new furnace would require. Many of the old furnaces even showed signs of severely rusted heat exchangers which could be very dangerous for their families.”

Now is a great time to replace your heating and air conditioning system. Federal tax rebate incentives and manufacturer discounts can provide up to $2,000 towards your purchase! Call Empire today to learn more.

Before: Built in 1939 and looking like an octopus, this furnace consumed enough energy for this home and the neighbor's home, too.

After (photo below): The Decatur homeowner with her new American Standard 95% efficient variable speed furnace.

After installation of the new high-efficiency American Standard furnace, Empire Heating and Air conducted a brief interview with the happy homeowner.

Q: How did you find out about Empire's contest?
A: My husband read about it in a local paper.

Q: Why did you think you had a viable entry?
A. I knew that my furnace most likely was original to my house, which was built in 1939.

Q: What were your heating bills like with the old furnace?
Last year my bills ranged from $23.22 in September, due to gas use from stove and water heater, to $182 last January. This was exceptionally high I think, since this past January my bill was $107. I think the high bills are usually around $150. Last March was $133.

Q: What was your reaction when you found out you had won?
A: I was very excited to be the winner, because I couldn't imagine anyone else had a furnace as old as mine. When I bought my house in 1989, I was told that I could not add an air conditioner to the furnace because it was a gravity fed furnace. That was OK with me, as I prefer natural ventilation, and the house is well shaded. Most people in the south would have replaced the furnace just to have air conditioning. My husband and I are planning on renovating soon and knew that the old furnace would need to be replaced. So this was perfect timing.

Q: How did the installation process go?
The installation went very smoothly, and much faster than I thought, considering the size of the old furnace and ductwork. It looked like it was made to stay put. Empire took care of all the details like running new wiring and relocating a new thermostat to a better location for the new system as well. Empire also did a great job of answering all of my numerous questions up front. We are very pleased with their service.