7 things you should know about high-efficiency gas furnaces
If you’re thinking about getting a new furnace, it is well worth your time to investigate your high-efficiency furnace options. Not only are new, high-efficiency furnaces more technologically advanced than that old clunker in your basement, but upgrading to high-efficiency is your best bet when it comes to cutting utility bill expenses. After all, heating your home (during the winter months) is going to make up the biggest chunk of your utility costs.
Here are a few quick facts about high-efficiency furnaces that you should know before you settle on a system.
- Most high-efficiency furnaces (over 90% AFUE) are condensing. This means that they can extract additional heat from water vapor that would normally be wasted up your flue. That’s what makes them so efficient.
- HVAC costs make up about half of your utility bill expenses. This means that if you can see savings here, you can see BIG savings overall.
- Some high-efficiency furnaces are nearly 100% efficient. This means that nearly all of the energy that goes into your gas furnace is returned in heating power.
- AFUE (or annual fuel utilization efficiency) is the standard measurement of efficiency of gas furnaces. The higher the AFUE percentage, the more efficient the unit.
- Minimum efficiency standards have been raised dramatically over the past 10 years. That means that the old furnace in your basement could be upwards of 10% less efficient that even standard-efficiency units today.
- Standard furnaces, as part of a split-system, aren’t the only way you can enjoy gas furnace heating power. Gas packs and packaged dual-fuel systems, can also contain all of the components of a high-efficiency gas furnace.
- Natural gas furnaces are often more efficient than other furnaces (like oil and electric). That’s because natural gas tends to be the cheaper utility in most areas.