Furnace Efficiency Ratings and What They Mean

Heating your Burke, VA home during the winter can be a costly effort if you don’t have the proper furnace for the job. It might be time to begin considering a new heating system if you notice rising heating costs or if your current unit requires frequent repairs. The most efficient heaters on the market today have AFUE ratings of 98% and can save you a substantial amount on monthly heating costs.

Understanding Furnace Efficiency Ratings

The first step to consider when purchasing a new gas furnace is its efficiency rating. All furnaces are assigned an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency rating or AFUE for short. This rating refers to the amount of fuel used by a heating system to keep your home warm. For example, if a furnace has an AFUE rating of 85%, it is utilizing 85% of its fuel it burns. You will find heaters with an AFUE rating of anywhere between 75 and 98% on the market today. The EPA currently requires heating systems to have a minimum energy efficiency rating of 78 percent for all homes except for mobile homes.

Saving Money With a More Efficient Furnace

The upfront cost of a new furnace can be a major consideration for homeowners. Chances are, you will be saving substantial money in the long run by upgrading to a more efficient unit. To put it simply, if you have an 80% efficient unit, 80 cents of every $1 of natural gas your furnace uses will be directly used to heat your home. The other 20 cents of that $1 goes up your flue pipe. If you have a unit that is 98% efficient, you will only be wasting 2 cents of natural gas per every $1.

While this doesn’t seem like a major difference upfront, having a more efficient unit can save you quite a bit of money on utilities over time. For more information about furnace installation services, contact us online or call us today.