Alliant Energy Security Blanket a Great Deal

When we bought our home last year, the inspector we hired to check things out prior to closing was quick to point out that, even though it was well maintained, our furnace was already past its life expectancy and running on borrowed time.

Since it was already winter, we didn’t get a chance to have it properly serviced before using it and, when it did break down after a couple of months, we were fortunate the house came with a limited warranty that covered the repair.

That’s why, when that warranty ran out, I signed up with Alliant Energy’s Security Blanket plan.

When I first looked at their Security Blanket maintenance plan, I was doing so simply because I wanted someone to come in and service my furnace. I had quite a few companies to choose from but every one of them wanted between $100 and $120 just to come in and lubricate a few parts and maybe vacuum it out. And, admittedly, that’s probably the going rate but it didn’t provide anything in terms of warranty on their work afterwards.

What attracted me to Alliant was the fact the plan, which costs $14.95 a month (or a bit less if you elect to have the furnace inspected every two years instead), is it doesn’t just cover the cost of them coming out for a half hour to service the furnace. It also covers parts and labor on any emergency repairs the furnace may need too.

As I described it to my wife when I was telling her about the program; I am paying an easy-to-budget $15 a month to avoid a not-so-easy-to-budget repair bill later. Considering the repairs we had to have done to our furnace last year would have cost us in excess of $500 if it weren’t for the warranty, I can live with $180 a year for peace of mind.

And, of course, there’s an added benefit with choosing Alliant over many of the local furnace places around here. They not only include the repairs for free, they also offer 24/7 customer service. That means if our furnace goes out Friday night, I don’t have to wait until Monday to get someone there to fix it. Of course, I’m sure I could find a local guy to do that too. But, I’m equally sure they would charge me a fortune for it.

It’s not often you can find utilities working hand-in-hand with their customers. But, in this case, Alliant Energy has done a great job with their Security Blanket program. Some day, I might be able to afford a brand new furnace. But, until then, I know I at least have help keeping the furnace I have running as long as it can