Saskatoon company rolls out furnace rebate program

The SaskEnergy furnace rebate program ran until the end of November and, according to a spokesperson, was viewed as a success. More than 600 units were swapped out and more receipts will be coming in until the end of the month.

However, the program was so successful and kept a Saskatoon company so busy that it decided to roll out a rebate of its own.

Centennial Plumbing, Heating and Electrical is now offering a similar rebate program to that of Sask Energy’s, which will run until the end of April 2020.

The rebate offers $650 towards replacing a 10-year or older furnace with a newer energy-efficient model.

“So many people got a high efficient furnace, and it makes such a difference for our environment, and for the individual homeowners that we wanted to be able to offer it going forward,” said Centennial operations leader Michael Shaw.

“We’re seeing some pretty old furnaces. From a health and safety perspective, it’s really important that new equipment goes into those units,” he added.

A faulty furnace can lead to a carbon monoxide gas leak into a home, which can be fatal.

“Where the hot air from the burning gas is introduced into an exchanger that heats the air in the house, if there’s a crack or some kind of hole in that heat exchanger then you’re going to (have) some carbon monoxide make its way into the heating air,” Saskatoon Fire Department assistant chief Wayne Rodger said.

The winter months are the most at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Rodger. Both he and Shaw agreed that regardless of how old a furnace is, having a carbon monoxide detector in the house is key.

“Have a carbon monoxide detector in your home,” Rodgers said.

“When you purchase one, read the instructions, install it as per the manufacturers’ instructions, and test it once a month to make sure it works.”