I have a couple of questions about my central heating unit, first of all it is a Lennox unit that is about 9 years old 82,000 BTU'S. Our home is about 1300 sq. ft. 1 story our heating bill is about $130 and it says that we used 110 CCFS of natural gas that seems like a lot, our attic is insulated well, the crawlspace, not so much, but I feel like the furnace runs all of the time. We set the thermostat to 75 and it stays 73. The gas will kick on for about 1-1.5 minutes and the fan will blow for about 6-7 more minutes without any gas input. I don't want to call an HVAC tech and pay the money if I don't have to, I have considered getting a Central AC/Heat Pump installed but $3000 is a lot I don't have. Any help is greatly appreciated.

If you have observed that the burners cycle on and off repeatedly while the blower continues to run, you may have a high-limit cycling condition-indicating a furnace that is overheating. Airflow restrictions (clogged filter and/or air conditioning coil, etc.) will result in very inefficient operation and high operating cost. Any heat produced by the furnace that is not delivered to the living space is going out the flue system. What you have described sounds very consistent with an overheating condition.

The air coming out of the vents is hot while the gas is on and mild just before the fan kicks off. I don't think that it is overheating, but I just wanted to see if $130 bill is expensive for our situation. What should I do?

Have a reputable professional inspect the system. What you spend now could save you a lot down the road.

How much do inspections like that typically run?

That will vary based on the average service rates in your local market. Ask family, friends, co-workers, etc. if they know of a particular HVAC company that they would recommend.

Not knowing where you live,but something to compare,, I live in central WV and it averages costing me 170.00 $ a month to heat a 800 sq.ft home,, I`ll trade bills with you anytime

High month last winter 489.00 here but I do run the spa a lot. BTW that is for both natural gas and electric and a lot of square feet.

Mine runs 130.00-140.00,I'm heating a little over 2000sf with a heat-pump. I have a 1hp pool pump running all summer. I'm in central Illinois.

Like me, hvac1000 is doing his part to help support the economy. The rest of you guys are slackin'... get busy!

Burn a lot of gas before the price goes up again.

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Originally Posted by KC13

Like me, hvac1000 is doing his part to help support the economy. The rest of you guys are slackin'...get busy!

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Bought 6 FCs of cherry from a local guy. Does that count? :)

Technically, not 'til you burn it. You could re-sell it...

I'll just open my windows and crank the stat up to 83, does that work?

Now yer gettin' on board!

For extra credit, leave yer truck runnin' overnight so it's nice & toasty in the morning...

Kirk, your original description of the furnace operation worrys me. Can you tell me what type of thermostat you have. Does it have a mercury switch, or is it digital. If digital, then the furnace should run until the temps on the thermostat are the same. Sounds like a short cycling problem. Could be many things. Start by checking thermostat. If mercury, you need to check anticipator setting. If digital, you need to make sure cycle rate is set correctly. Please let us know what you find.

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Originally Posted by KC13

For extra credit, leave yer truck runnin' overnight so it's nice & toasty in the morning...

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Doesn't everyone do that?

No, only REAL Americans... who love America!