Looking at high efficiency heating for the New Year?
High efficiency heating is not just popular, it’s necessary. In this day and age when fuel for heating is more expensive than ever, everyone is budget-conscious. The well being of the environment is center stage while the efficiency of all of your home mechanicals and appliances is a top priority, especially when it comes to heating your home.
Are gas furnaces part of this push for high efficiency heating? Let’s take a look at them and see how they measure up.
Explaining Energy Efficiency
To understand the efficiency of your furnace, it’s helpful to understand efficiency ratings. Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) is a rating system that shows how efficiently a heating system or furnace converts fuel into energy, or heat. This rating is a percentage of how much fuel goes toward heat vs. how much is expelled as emissions. The higher the percentage, the more fuel efficient the system, which means not only will it save you more money on your utility bills, but it will have less environmental impact than other furnaces.
Is Gas Best?
The government mandates energy efficiency for any newly manufactured gas furnaces, and the lowest level that is allowed is 78%, which is quite a bit lower than some which are as efficient as 97%. Gas furnaces rely on natural gas, which burns much more cleanly than coal, which is needed to provide electricity to an electric furnace.
Additionally, it is much less expensive to operate a gas furnace than an electric one. Though the equipment cost for a gas furnace is higher up front, the savings more than compensate through usage over time.
If you’re looking for high efficiency heat and are considering a gas furnace, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll be buying the most energy efficient type of heating system.
For more information on high efficiency heating, give the experts at H.H. Hovey a call at (336) 768-2703. Schedule service today with H.H. Hovey.
