Now that winter’s over and done with here in the Dayton area, it’s an ideal time to assess how your furnace performed over the past several months. If you’re unhappy with the furnace performance and are considering an upgrade, spring is a good time to find good deals on new furnaces. But make sure you realize that furnace performance is directly related your system’s efficiency. Upgrading your existing furnace for increased performance and dollar saving requires an understanding of furnace efficiency ratings.
All furnaces are required by law to be tested and a determination made as to their efficiency. AFUE, or annual fuel utilization efficiency, ratings compare the fuel that goes into operating a furnace and the amount of heat your furnace is capable of producing from that fuel. When you begin looking to upgrade or select a new furnace, this is the most critical number to understand.
Modern high-efficiency furnaces rate at 90-97 percent AFUE. This means the heating system has a sealed combustion chamber with a heat exchanger for capturing additional flue heat for re-circulating back into the system before exhausting. These are your most efficient but also higher-priced systems. Mid-efficiency furnaces have 80-89 percent AFUE ratings. They are not as robust but are quite acceptable with their compact size and lighter weight. Older furnaces carry as low as 68-72 percent AFUE ratings. These are the least efficient and no longer meet the minimum allowed AFUE ratings in the United States.
Furnaces that are all-electric have 100 percent AFUE ratings because they have no flue requirement and therefore no heat loss. The high costs of electricity in most parts of the country make choosing an all-electric furnace cost-prohibitive for many homeowners.
If the AFUE information is not readily noticeable on your existing furnace for upgrading, or the new furnace system you are considering, hold off until that information is made available. For help with your furnace upgrade, including which modern features will most enhance furnace efficiency, please contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnace performance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Ace Hardware Home Services services the Ohio’s Miami Valley. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
