What is AFUE and How Does It Work?

When you’re looking at new gas furnaces, you might notice that they have an AFUE rating. What is AFUE? This refers to the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating, which measures how efficient a gas furnace is. Knowing what is AFUE can help ensure that you choose the best gas furnace for your home in Broken Arrow.

How Does the AFUE Rating Work?

What is AFUE? The AFUE rating lets you know how well a gas furnace is able to turn natural gas into energy. You’ll see the AFUE rating as a percentage on descriptions of gas furnaces. The percentage tells you how much of the energy that a gas furnace uses turns into actual heat. For example, an AFUE rating of 85% would mean that 85% of the energy a gas furnace uses is turned into heat. What happens to the remaining energy? The other 15% is energy that the gas furnace consumes during the process of heating your home. A higher AFUE rating indicates that a gas furnace is more energy-efficient compared to furnaces with lower AFUE ratings.

What AFUE Rating Should a Gas Furnace Have?

New gas furnaces must have an AFUE rating of at least 78%, so you won’t see any that go below this amount. AFUE ratings can vary considerably, but what is AFUE (and what value is it?) if you can't get a furnace with a higher rating. For example, a gas furnace with an AFUE rating of 95% will provide much better energy efficiency than a gas furnace with an AFUE rating of 80%. In general, gas furnaces with AFUE ratings between 80% and 85% are considered mid-efficiency furnaces. Those that range between 90% to 97% are considered high-efficiency furnaces. Keep in mind that a higher AFUE rating results in more energy savings, since your new gas furnace will be heating your home more efficiently.

Now, you won't have to ask "What is AFUE?" ever again. If you’re looking for a new furnace for your Broken Arrow home, please contact Air Assurance. Our HVAC experts can help you choose a new furnace with a higher AFUE rating so you can save on energy costs.

3 Important Terms to Know for Your System: AFUE, SEER, HSPF

Whenever you’re buying a new major HVAC appliance or having repairs done, it’s good to be able to understand what your technician or salesman is talking about. It will help you learn about your HVAC system, which will in turn allow you to make better decisions that will benefit you and your home. Here are three important terms you should learn about: AFUE, SEER, HSPF.

AFUE

Annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) is a value that shows how well a furnace or water heater is able to turn your fuel into usable heat. The word annual in the acronym indicates that this is an average value that was determined over the course of a typical year. This is important because some units will perform better or worse than others in extreme temperatures. The current minimum AFUE level in the U.S. has been set at 78 percent by the Department of Energy.

SEER

Air conditioners (A/Cs) have a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) value that demonstrates how efficiently your A/C cools air. A high SEER number indicates that your A/C wastes less energy to cool air than a comparable air conditioner with a lower SEER value. The minimum standard for A/Cs in terms of SEER rating is currently 13.

HSPF

A final HVAC term you should understand is the heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) of your heat pump. This number is again a type of efficiency rating that measures how well your pump translates the energy it consumes per hour into hot or cold air. High efficiency air conditioners will have the highest HSPFs, and will save you money on energy bills.

Understanding your HVAC system can only help you as a homeowner. If you have any questions or confusion about your Broken Arrow home’s HVAC system, please contact Air Assurance to clear them up.

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

Furnace Installation Coming Up? 3 Points to Ponder Prior

If you're in the process of shopping for a furnace replacement, there are a few things you'll want to consider. Selecting the wrong type of furnace will result in energy waste, excessive fuel and repair costs, and can also compromise your indoor comfort and air quality.

Make sure you discuss the following three points with a licensed HVAC contractor before moving forward with your furnace installation.

Sizing. Many homeowners automatically use their old furnace size as the guideline for their replacement. That can be a huge mistake. Since furnaces have an average lifespan of about 20 years or so, chances are the original HVAC contractor used "rule of thumb" measurements to determine the furnace size. These days, knowledgeable contractors use Manuals J, D, and S to get accurate load calculations and to determine the most energy-efficient HVAC equipment and design for your home. Among other things, accurate furnace sizing requires an inspection of your current HVAC system, building materials, insulation R-values and a conversation regarding typical home occupancy and furnace usage.

Energy and Cost Efficiency. Modern furnaces can have AFUEs as high as 97 or more. However, your contractor may recommend one with a slightly lower AFUE depending on your needs. The key is to find the best system in terms of energy consumption and fuel costs, as well your household budget. Your contractor can use a series of calculations based on your home's energy efficiency, current fuel prices and projected fuel costs to select a furnace with an AFUE that will pay for itself, and possibly more, over time.

Fuel source. Fuel prices are always fluctuating. The most affordable fuel when your original furnace was installed may not be the most cost-effective option now. Talk to your HVAC technician about your options, including wood pellets or geothermal heat pump, which may be wiser investments in today's market.

Once your new furnace installation is complete, make sure to observe annual maintenance appointments, or sign up for a maintenance plan to reduce lifetime repair costs.

Need a new furnace installation in your Broken Arrow area home? Contact Air Assurance.

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).  For more information about furnace installation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Is a Condensing Gas Furnace for Your Tulsa Home?

The cost of fuel for home heating is always on the radar screen, especially during bear winters like homeowners in the Tulsa area experienced this year. If it’s time to replace your old furnace, learn how a new condensing gas furnace can take the bite out of heating bills.

Condensing Gas Furnace

A condensing gas furnace can deliver more than 98 AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency), which is the estimated percentage of fuel converted to usable heat for the home. New conventional furnaces get around 80 to 85 AFUE, while very old furnaces may only get 65 to 75 AFUE.

So, if you are looking to replace a very old furnace, you can count on substantial fuel savings. These are the components that drive 98 AFUE:

• A modulating gas valve adjusts heating output, just like you can adjust the flame on a gas stove -- except of course the furnace gas valve is automatic. A modulating gas valve, in conjunction with a variable-speed blower, monitors and adjusts heating output in increments as small as 1 percent. That is precise comfort.

• A variable-speed blower motor adjusts airflow to match the heating load at any given moment. This offers greater efficiency, greater comfort with smooth, even temperatures and quieter operation.

• Two heat exchangers provide exceptional heating efficiency by extracting nearly 100 percent (98 AFUE) of heat energy from hot exhaust gases inside the second heat exchanger.

• A sealed combustion chamber uses direct vent air intake, which means only outside air is used for fuel combustion. Why burn the household air you’ve already paid to heat? Sealed air intake and exhaust also safeguards against carbon monoxide back-drafting.

Return on Investment

The lifetime cost of a furnace is the purchase and installation price, plus estimated maintenance, repairs and fuel consumption for the life of the system. This is the true measure of a furnace investment -- not just the sticker price. Ask your HVAC professional to perform a cost analysis of potential installs to see which new furnace system is right for you.

For more information about a condensing gas furnace, please contact Air Assurance today.

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

Confused About Furnace Efficiency Ratings? Here's Your Expert Guide

If you're in the market for a new furnace, one of the first things you'll encounter are furnace efficiency ratings. These ratings tell you how much of the fuel the system uses that goes directly into your home as heat and how much the furnace wastes. There's a close relationship between the ratings and the size and price of the furnace you need for your home.

The efficiency ratings for gas furnaces are called AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency). The minimum starts at 80 which means that the furnace uses 80 percent of the fuel it consumes for heating your home and it wastes 20 percent of the gas up the chimney or elsewhere. Systems are available with AFUE ratings as high as 99 percent, indicating they waste a mere 1 percent of the fuel they use.

Furnaces whose AFUE ratings are over 90 are usually condensing furnaces and they use a second heat exchanger to extract the heat from the water vapor burned gas creates. These systems have a slightly different configuration than the normal gas furnace and a higher price tag, but their efficiency promises significantly lower energy bills for years to come, offsetting the cost. Some units provide up to 98% efficient capabilities!

Mid-range furnace efficiency ratings have AFUE ratings in the mid-80s and if your home won't easily accept a condensing furnace, such a furnace is likely to provide you with higher efficiency than your current system offers. Some of these use two-stage heating, an energy saver when temperatures are milder and your home's heating needs are lower.

The size you need and the AFUE rating are related. Since a furnace with a higher AFUE puts out more heat, you may not need as large a system, which generally costs less. The HVAC contractor you work with should perform a load calculation using Manual J and S, both of which take into account the variables in your home that contribute to the system size you need.

To learn more about furnace efficiency ratings, contact the pros at Air Assurance, providing outstanding HVAC services for homeowners in the Broken Arrow 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