When it comes to keeping your home warm and comfortable during long Wisconsin winters, a high quality energy efficient furnace is a must. Understanding energy efficient ratings is important when choosing a new furnace that will save you money on heating costs.
The Waukesha furnace technicians at Hot Point Heating have years of experience installing and repairing various styles and brands of energy efficient furnaces. We have taken our knowledge of Wisconsin energy efficient furnaces to help clarify what different energy ratings mean.
A higher efficiency furnace will save you money on your heating costs and may even qualify you for an energy tax credit. Each furnace on the market today has an energy rating sticker on it, which signals to the buyer what the particular furnace is rated.
When shopping for a furnace, look for the AFUE rating. AFUE stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. This rating measures the ratio of heat produced by the furnace compared to the amount of fuel used. The higher the AFUE rating is, the more efficient the furnace.
In Wisconsin homes, all furnaces are required to have an AFUE rating of 78% or higher. This means at least 78% of the energy in the fuel becomes heat for the home. The other 22% escapes through the chimney.
To meet Energy Star label and CEE ratings, the furnace must have an AFUE of 90% or higher. Furnaces with 90% efficiency save fuel by reusing the condensed water vapor, which is normally wasted. While these types of furnaces typically have a higher initial cost, they will save you a lot of money in the long run.
There are three types of furnace efficiency ratings:
Typically, most homes are equipped with a standard/mid efficiency furnace; however, some homes may still have a low efficiency model installed. If this is the case, it may be time to upgrade to a new, energy efficient furnace.
The Waukesha HVAC technicians at Hot Point Heating and Air Conditioning have the experience necessary to install a new high efficiency furnace in your home quickly and correctly. Don’t let an old furnace drive up your energy bills. Let our Waukesha furnace installation experts upgrade your home to become more energy efficient.
