If your current heating system isn’t heating the way it used to, it might be time to look into replacing your furnace. And as long as you’re replacing your furnace, it’s also a good idea to look at a high-efficiency furnace option. With high energy bills and diminishing resources, high efficiency furnaces can be an essential addition to your home HVAC system.
Measure Efficiency
The efficiency of a furnace is measured by the AFUE rating, which stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. Every furnace posts a rating, and the ratings run from all the way to 98 percent. The percentage reflects how much of the fuel that runs the furnace gets converted into heat for your home. If the AFUE is lower than 90 percent, the furnace is considered mid-efficiency.
Consider Cost
A high-efficiency furnace will cost substantially more than one with a lower AFUE. However, their main benefit, energy efficiency, translates directly into lower heating bills, and benefits for the environment. Looked at over the long term, a high-efficiency furnace will almost always be the better investment. You’ll be able to eventually pay it off with energy savings. You may also be able to qualify for federal tax credits when buying a high-efficiency furnace, though these credits are only available through 2011.
Furnace Size
The size of the replacement furnace you choose is crucial to the overall efficiency of the unit. If the system is too large for the amount of space you have, it will waste energy cycling on and off. If it’s too small, it will not be able to keep the house warm enough. The right furnace should be as close as possible to the heating load of the home, and this is something your HVAC professional should be able to help you with.
If you have any questions about replacing the furnace in your Dayton area home, please contact Ace Hardware Home Services. We can help you understand your furnace needs and even replace your old furnace with the perfect new unit.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about replacing your furnace 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!
