Homeowners Urged to Schedule Furnace Inspections
The Better Business Bureau recommends routine heating system checks before winter to prevent breakdowns, improve efficiency and catch safety hazards.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Home Repair
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The Better Business Bureau is encouraging homeowners to schedule furnace inspections before winter arrives. The organization advises getting at least three written estimates and researching contractors before hiring.
Why it matters
Routine furnace maintenance can help prevent costly breakdowns, improve energy efficiency and identify safety hazards before they become major problems. Carbon monoxide, which is odorless, poses serious health risks when heating systems are not operating properly.
The Better Business Bureau recommends obtaining at least three written estimates before hiring a contractor, and the guidance does not quantify how often furnace problems occur locally. Local incident data on heating-related breakdowns or carbon monoxide cases was not provided.
The players
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau is a nonprofit organization that promotes marketplace trust and maintains business reviews and consumer resources through BBB.org.
The details
A typical furnace inspection includes checking filters, burners, safety controls, ventilation systems and potential gas leaks. Homeowners are encouraged to ask technicians about carbon monoxide testing, energy-efficient equipment, and available tax credits or rebates, and to confirm all costs, warranties and services in writing before work begins.
Timeline
Before winter: homeowners are encouraged to schedule furnace inspections as temperatures fall.
Roadmap
The Better Business Bureau's contractor-vetting advice, long used for roofing and remodeling, is applied here to heating system maintenance ahead of cold weather. Homeowners are being directed to the same written-estimate and credential-check steps the organization promotes across home services.
Scheduling an inspection before winter can catch gas leaks and ventilation problems early, reducing the chance of carbon monoxide exposure in the home. Getting three written estimates and confirming warranties in writing helps homeowners avoid unexpected costs.
The takeaway
Before hiring anyone to service your furnace, collect at least three written estimates and confirm costs, warranties and services in writing. Ask the technician to test for carbon monoxide during the inspection.
Further reading
For more on preparing a heating system for cold weather, see Home Repair coverage.
More information
Research contractors and verify credentials through the Better Business Bureau contractor lookup.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KTVO.
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