Winter outdoor activities in Minnesota can be a lot of fun especially when you come back to that nice warm home. If you’re buying a new furnace this fall, heating efficiency should be a big selection factor. The standardized heating efficiency standard, called the annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) ratings, was established in 1978. The Federal Trade Commission requires all furnaces sold in the U.S. to display the AFUE rating. Understanding what the AFUE rating means will help you make a selection when you’re buying a furnace.
AFUE is a measurement of heating output to energy consumed over a heating season. A rating of 90 percent means that all but 10 percent of the fuel energy consumed was converted to heat for the home. The AFUE rating is intended to express
the average annual furnace efficiency (not peak efficiency), taking into account standby and startup/shutdown heat losses.
Some of the factors that are not taken into account in the AFUE calculations include heat losses through the duct and piping system, whether a furnace is oversized for its location, and temperature control systems. These types of heat losses may be reduced through homeowner actions such as regular maintenance, sealing leaky ducts, and weatherizing the home, through sealing air leaks and adding insulation.
The U.S. Department of Energy has set minimum AFUE standards for furnaces. For example, the current minimum AFUE is 78 percent for a conventional fossil-fuel-fired furnace. High-efficiency furnaces start at 90 percent AFUE and rise to nearly 100. The higher the AFUE, typically, the higher the cost of the furnace. However, depending on the climate where the furnace is installed, that extra cost can be recouped over different periods of time through monthly savings on the utility bill. Here in Minnesota, with our long, cold winters, the payback period is much shorter than it would be in, say, North Carolina.
Federal tax credits and utility rebates are often available to help with the purchase of a high-efficiency furnace. Talk to your trusted HVAC contractor to find out what’s available in your area.
For more information about AFUE and buying a furnace, please contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning Co. We are a family-owned business serving the Twin Cities area since 1974.
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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 AFUE ratings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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