Condensing Furnaces Raise The Bar For Efficiency

If you're in the market for a new furnace for your Broken Arrow home, consider a high-efficiency condensing furnace. Furnace efficiency is measured by its annual fuel utilization efficiency, or AFUE. Furnaces older than ten years have an AFUE of up to 65 percent, which means that 65 percent of the fuel burned by the furnace is transferred to heat for your home. The remaining 35 percent is vented outside as exhaust. Condensing furnaces have an AFUE of at least 98 percent, making these units highly efficient, saving you money on energy costs.Condensing furnaces have several features that contribute to their high efficiency. Among them are:

• Dual heat exchangers. Unlike a conventional furnace, a condensing furnace has a secondary heat exchanger that recovers the exhaust from the first and uses it to heat more air for your home. The result is that more fuel is transferred to heat and less is sent up the chimney.

• Modulating gas valve. The gas valve in a condensing furnace modulates the flow of fuel to the unit from 40 to 100 percent to meet the real-time heating needs of the home. This means that during warmer periods, less fuel is burned by the unit.

• Variable-speed fan blower. A conventional furnace has two speeds: on and off. The multiple-speed fan in a condensing furnace enables it to slow the blower during warmer periods, using less electricity and keeping your home more comfortable.

• Electronically-commutated motor (ECM). A standard furnace utilizes a split-capacitor motor to run the fan. These motors can use as much electricity as a refrigerator to operate. ECMs, which are sometimes offered on condensing furnaces, are not only quieter, but also use 75 percent less electricity.

Condensing furnaces are more expensive than conventional furnaces, but their efficiency results in considerably lower utility bills. A condensing furnace will more than pay for itself over its lifetime.For more expert information about condensing furnaces, please feel free to contact us at Air Assurance, serving Broken Arrow and the Tulsa metropolitan area since 1985. Our goal is to provide the best possible service to our customers.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Energy Star's 'Most Efficient' Label: What Does It Mean?

We'll just assume that in the past twenty years, you've purchased an appliance or two adorned with the Energy Star logo. We'll also assume that, unless you've been in the market for a new piece of heating or cooling equipment in the past couple of years, you've never heard of Energy Star's 'Most Efficient' label. Whether you're in the market for new HVAC equipment now or later, it's a good idea to learn about this exciting new program.Redefining energy-efficiency standardsFor two decades, the Energy Star logo has stood for energy efficiency, helping millions of consumers with purchasing equipment that met high standards. As time has passed, however, better technology linked to energy efficiency has allowed more appliances to carry the Energy Star logo than ever before. In fact, this is exactly why the new Most Efficient program began.Lower energy costsEven though the initial cost of a unit backed by Energy Star's 'Most Efficient' label may be higher, you can enjoy years of savings due to the higher efficiency ratings. To illustrate what this means, consider the fact that a furnace's AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating must be a minimum of 97 percent to qualify. Plus, air-source heat pumps must now exceed 65,000 Btu/h (British Thermal Unit per hour) in order to be considered Most Efficient. And when it comes to being awarded the new label, third-party testing must now take place, whereas manufacturers could previously test and certify their own products.Easy to findEnergy Star doesn't want to make it confusing when you shop for new equipment, which is why you can access a list of the 2013 Most Efficient on their website. Not only will you be given a run-down of each unit's capacity, you'll also find details including the estimated annual energy usage, estimated annual cost of operation, and overall capacity of the appliance.For more expert advice about Energy Star's Most Efficient label, or for questions relating to home comfort, please contact the professionals at Air Assurance. We have been serving the HVAC needs of the Greater Tulsa Metropolitan area since 1985.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Tax Credits For 2013: Make The Most Of These Savings

When the Congress passed legislation to avoid the fiscal cliff, it also resurrected the tax credit for installing energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment. The credit covers qualifying equipment purchased and installed from January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2013. The type of equipment and the minimum efficiency standards they must have include:

• Furnaces and boilers. These appliances must have a 95 percent AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency). The current minimum for combustion furnaces is 78 percent AFUE, which means that they waste 22 percent of the fuel they consume. A 95 percent efficiency furnace wastes just 5 percent of the fuel, which lowers consumption substantially.

• Heat pumps. The minimum SEER for qualifying heat pumps is 15 and the minimum HSPF (heating seasonal performance factor) has to be 8.5 or higher to qualify for the tax credit.

• Air conditioners. Package air conditioners must have a minimum SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) rating of 14. A package system is one that combines the heating and cooling in a single unit and is located either on the roof or in the yard. A split-system air conditioner must have a SEER of at least 16. The current minimum for all central air conditioners stands at 13.

• Fans for air handlers. A high-efficiency fan in the air handler qualifies for a credit, as long as it doesn't consume more than 2 percent of the total energy that the furnace, air conditioner or heat pump uses.

There are some other criteria, such as minimum EER ratings to go along with the above.  If you have any questions, our experts can help.

The credits for air conditioners and heat pumps have a limit of $300, while the maximum for furnaces is $150. A high-efficiency fan qualifies for a credit of $50. Under this particular program (25C), taxpayers can only claim $500 total tax credits for the period from 2005 through the end of 2013.   And Geothermal units still qualify for a 30% no limit tax credit that is still good through 2016.The credits help offset the cost of installing high efficiency HVAC equipment, which helps homeowners start enjoying lower utility bills faster. If you would like more information about taking advantage of the 25C program and taking a tax credit, contact Air Assurance. We've provided HVAC services for the Broken Arrow region for nearly 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Buying A New Furnace: Understand AFUE Ratings Before You Choose

If your heating equipment was on the fritz at the end of last heating season, the time is now to upgrade your furnace. Amongst other things, it is imperative that you know how to read and understand the annual fuel utilization efficiency, or AFUE ratings that are displayed on all new furnace models. Here's why:What AFUE isAFUE ratings are a measurement of how well a furnace is able to change the energy within its fuel into usable heat throughout the course of a year. To be more specific, AFUE serves as the ratio of the furnace's annual output of heat versus the total amount of energy that is consumed by the boiler. All new heating equipment including both furnaces and boilers is required to display AFUE ratings so that consumers are able to easily make comparisons between the efficiency of various models.What the numbers meanWhen it comes to AFUE, the larger the number you see, the more efficient the furnace is. As an example, if a furnace has been assigned an AFUE rating of 85 percent, you will know that 85 percent of the energy from its fuel will be efficiently converted into heat from your home. The remaining 15 percent will be lost through your flue pipe, pilot light, or other means of losing efficiency.Other considerations when looking at AFUE ratingsFirst, it is important to keep in mind that AFUE does not take the losses of heat within your duct system or piping into consideration. If your home's ducts are located in your attic, you can expect that as much as 35 percent of your furnace's energy output could be lost. Your HVAC contractor can advise you on the best heating systems for a home with such a duct system. In addition, you should know that bigger is not always better with AFUE. Electric furnaces tend to have AFUE ratings between 95 - 100 percent, for example, but the higher costs of electricity over gas make these an uneconomical decision.For more advice on understanding furnace efficiency ratings, contact the professionals at Air Assurance. We proudly serve residents of the Tulsa and Broken Arrow areas.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock