How Do I Know How Efficient My Furnace Is?

People are generally energy conscious now a days and that is a good thing. With your HVAC system taking up almost half of the energy on your bill each month we should be conscious of it. The furnaces made over 15 years ago are not as efficient as the heaters made now a days. If you are wondering what the efficiency of your current furnace is take a look at the sticker that has the model and serial number in it. The efficiency is typically included on the sticker that is on the face plate. If it is not then you can google the manufacturer and put the model number in. Your furnace efficiency is labeled as AFUE or you might see a % by it. AFUE stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency. If your furnace is an 75% AFUE it means your furnace will use 75% of its fuel to heat your home and will waste 25% due to energy loss in the combustion process. The higher the AFUE the more efficient the furnace is. You can get a tax credit if you upgrade to a 93% and higher AFUE through Nicor. You can compare your current furnace efficiency with that of a new one by going to energy.gov. The article you are looking for on the website is called “Annual Estimated Savings for Every $100 of Fuel Costs by Increasing Your Heating Equipment Efficiency”. It will tell you how much you can potentially save if you upgrade your furnace.  For example, if you replaced your 70% efficient furnace with a 95% efficient furnace you will have about a 26% savings each year on your energy bill. That will help greatly to lower your energy bills. Not only will upgrading to a new furnace save you money on energy, it will also save you money and headaches because it won’t break as often. Bartlett Heating and Air offers free quotes on installations so call us today!