Should I Turn off My Furnace During the Summer?

Summer 2019 is here, and with it comes thoughts of finally setting your thermostat for “cool” in your Rhode Island home.

But should you shut off your oil furnace once cooling season begins?

You may be thinking that you are turning off your furnace simply by switching from “heat” to “cool” setting – but’s only partly true: although you are indeed preventing your furnace from actually running, you are still paying to keep the pilot light lit (unless your furnace features electronic ignition, which avoids using a pilot light altogether).

Turning your furnace off, therefore, means shutting down your pilot light, too.

But should you do it?

So should you extinguish your furnace pilot light during the summer? That depends. Here are some thoughts to consider.

First and foremost, it’s important to know if you have a furnace (which heats using air) rather than a boiler (which heats using water).

The easiest way to tell the difference: If you have baseboard heating or radiators, you have a boiler; if you have vents, you have a furnace.

If you have a boiler, DO NOT turn off your pilot light. If the unit gets cold, the metal shrinks, which can cause damage and leaks in the system.

Why keep your furnace pilot light on?

• The amount you’ll pay to fire up that pilot light probably won’t add up to much – about $50 or so over the course of a heating offseason, depending on the cost of fuel.
• If you have an indirect water heater, you must keep your pilot lit.
• If you get an unusually cool summer night, you’ll have to re-light your pilot light, which can be an inconvenient (this is why it’s a good idea to wait until most of the cool nights have passed here in RI).
• You will have to relight your pilot light in the fall.

Why turn your furnace pilot light off?

• Pilot lights eat fuel, so turning them off will save you money (it could be more than the $50 estimate above, depending on the condition of your equipment and the price of fuel).
• Pilot lights also generate heat (it is a flame, after all), which your HVAC system or air conditioner will have to combat by working harder (which you will pay for).
• Pilot lights also create moisture – a natural byproduct of the combustion process – which can speed rust and erosion.

How to turn off your furnace

If you choose to turn off your furnace, simply switch off the furnace’s heating oil supply. If you have any questions about how to do this, contact us today.

Looking for more advice about your propane- or oil-fired furnace? You’ve come to the right place! Contact the experts at Vaughn Oil for questions about furnace installation and heating system service for your Rhode Island home!