Efficiency matters when it comes to your home’s furnace. If your furnace is old and ready for retirement, you’ll want to replace it with a more efficient model. Doing so will both improve home comfort and lower your heating bills during our long southwest Ohio winter. When buying a furnace, you’ll want to use AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) ratings to compare models.
What is the AFUE rating?
The AFUE rating, given in a percentage, measures how efficiently the furnace burns fuel. The higher the percentage, the more fuel is converted into heat. Furnace in the 1970s, for example, likely sported AFUE percentages of 60-65. The federal government’s current minimum AFUE is 78 percent, with high-efficiency models exceeding 90 percent.
What are the benefits of a furnace with a higher AFUE rating?
The cost of a high-efficiency furnace will be higher, since it generally contains advanced design features. However, a furnace with a 90-plus AFUE rating will save on energy costs for as long as you use it. A professional contractor should be able to estimate the total yearly costs, making it easier for you to compare furnace models. The general rule is that the colder and longer your winters, the more you’ll save on operating costs with a high-efficiency furnace. For this reason, homeowners in the South are usually better off buying a cheaper furnace with a lower AFUE, since it will take much longer to reap savings on energy.
Before buying a furnace, have a contractor calculate a yearly estimation of your operating costs. Then make sure that you check for the AFUE rating when comparing furnace models. For additional information, please contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. We guarantee customer satisfaction and quality HVAC service to homeowners in the Dayton area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about AFUE ratings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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