With the drop in daily temperatures, fall is officially here. It is time to do a safety inspection and preventative maintenance on your heating equipment. If your equipment is over 10 years old, you should be asking yourself just how efficient it is. The rating system for determining the efficiency of heating equipment is the acronym AFUE. (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency).
AFUE Furnace Efficiency
The AFUE rating is a yellow sticker affixed to every gas furnace and it shows the percentage of efficiency for that particular unit. The ratings are expressed in percentages, like 80%, 90% etc. These numbers represent the actual amount of usable heat going into your home. An older furnace with a 60% AFUE would deliver $0.60 of heat and $0.40 from every dollar is going up your chimney. Obviously, the higher the efficiency, the cheaper it is to heat your home.
Years ago when utility costs were cheap, efficiency ratings were not a priority. However, today, with government mandates, manufacturers have to deliver a minimum of 80% efficiency on all gas furnaces. And in the near future, all furnaces will need to be at least 90% AFUE.
If your heating equipment has seen better days, or if you are thinking of upgrading your equipment, please give us a call. We will provide you with a FREE in home evaluation based on Manual J load calculations.
