Federal efficiency standards may be dry reading, but since they directly affect your energy bills, Twin Cities homeowners will benefit from a quick review of these evolving standards.
Coming to Terms
A March 2014 federal court settlement restructured rule-making by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for federal efficiency standards on HVAC equipment. To understand the settlement and how it affects Twin Cities homeowners, you first need to know some basic terms:
- AFUE – Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) measures how well a furnace converts fuel into heat, using a percentage figure.
- SEER – Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) is a way to describe a cooling system’s efficiency over an entire season.
- HSPF – Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) measures a heat pump’s heating efficiency.
- EER – Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) is the output of cooling divided by the electricity powering the cooling unit. This is a spot measurement, as compared with SEER.
Settled Law
For Minnesotans, the change of rules for federal efficiency standards affecting cooling is largely an academic exercise, since we value our heating more than our central air conditioning. As of Jan. 1, 2015 federal efficiency standards for cooling and heating will be as follows:
- A SEER of 14 for single-package air conditioners
- A SEER of 13 for split-system central air conditioners (the current standard)
- SEER of 14 and HSPF of 8.2 for split-system heat pumps
- A SEER rating of 14 and HSPF rating of 8.0 for single-package heat pumps
- AFUE of 83 percent for non-weatherized oil-fired furnaces (non-weatherized refers to the common variety used inside homes)
- AFUE of 81 percent for weatherized gas furnaces
- AFUE of 78 percent for weatherized oil-fired furnaces and electric furnaces
- AFUE of 78 percent for non-weatherized gas furnaces, rising to 80 percent AFUE Nov. 19, 2015
Your Bottom Line
As the DOE continues to work on improved regional standards, Twin Cities homeowners will see changes in the HVAC equipment offered by contractors. These improvements can save you money on your energy bills.
According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, every 5 percent AFUE improvement means saving a bit more than 6 percent on fuel costs. For more help understanding the evolving federal efficiency standards, please contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about federal efficiency standards and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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