Do you know how efficient your furnace is? Most folks are happy as long as their furnace keeps them warm, but older heaters can be big money-wasters. Whether your furnace is due for a replacement, or you’re interested in saving money, consider buying a high efficiency furnace.
We’ll tell you how a high efficiency furnace works to save you money, and we’ll give you the top 3 reasons to have one installed.
What exactly is a High Efficiency Furnace?
A furnace is considered highly efficient due to its AFUE or ‘Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency’ rating. Simply put, it’s a measure of how efficiently your furnace takes natural gas and transforms it into hot air. AFUE is expressed as a percentage, and it takes the year long efficiency of your heater into account. According to the DOE, a furnace must have an AFUE of 90% to be considered a high efficiency furnace. Be wary of manufacturers who refer to their heaters as highly efficient without having a AFUE of 90%. The minimum AFUE for new furnaces is 80%, and some companies will try to disguise their mid-efficiency furnaces as high efficiency furnaces. Verify that your heater is highly efficient by checking the EnergyGuide label that appears on new furnaces.
Now that you know what it takes to qualify as a high efficiency furnace, we’ll discuss why you should buy one.
You Need a Heater Replacement :
First of all, if you determine it’s time to replace your furnace, getting a high efficiency furnace is a no brainer. You’ll have to pay a bit more to get it installed, but the cost will easily be recouped in a few years. If you have to spend the money to get a new heater, you might as well get one that will save you money.
Money in Your Wallet :
Let’s say you have a 12 year old furnace operating at 70% AFUE. If you upgrade to a high efficiency furnace with an AFUE of 93%, you are going to save big in the long run. How big? Think of it this way, for every dollar you spend on heating, you lose $0.30 to inefficiency with the old furnace and only $0.07 with the high efficiency furnace. That $0.23 difference between furnaces might seem small, but over time, you will save a significant amount of money.
Mother Nature Will Thank You :
Saving money feels great, but saving the planet feels even better! With a high efficiency furnace, you can add Mother Earth Protector to your resume. A high efficiency furnace with an AFUE of 90% saves an average of 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Can you imagine if everyone upgraded to a high efficiency furnace?
Buying high efficiency furnace is a smart move. Just make sure you find the right HVAC company to install it. An amateur installer will cancel out any savings you’ll get with an efficient furnace. Also, efficiency doesn’t stop at the heater. A large amount of efficiency is lost in the ducts. Be sure to have your HVAC contractor take a look at your ducts.
