When you’re shopping for a new furnace for your Northeast Ohio home, one of the first considerations will be the efficiency level of this major investment in long-term comfort. Higher efficiency furnaces are more expensive to purchase, but have lower operating costs over time.
In order to determine the best option for your home, you should consider multiple factors.
How Is Efficiency Measured?
Furnace efficiency is measured by the annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) rating, which shows what percentage of the fuel is converted into heat. The most efficient furnaces available today sport nearly 100 percent AFUE, meaning very little fuel goes to waste. These are condensing furnaces that harvest heat not only from fuel as it’s burned but from the combustion exhaust. Standard efficiency furnaces usually are around AFUE 80 percent, and the minimum available on the market is 78 percent.
Factors Affecting Cost
To determine the best fit for your home, you need to determine the likely cost of operating the furnace throughout its lifetime. The operating cost depends on the AFUE value along with the following factors:
- Local utility costs: If fuel is more expensive, whether it’s gas or electricity, a higher efficiency will have a larger impact on your annual operating cost.
- Typical fuel consumption: If you have a large home that requires a lot of heating, efficiency will have a large effect on your energy bills, which can add up over time.
- Characteristics of your home: A well-insulated home won’t lose as much heat, which means the heating system won’t have to work as hard. The less you have to run your heat, the less the efficiency will matter.
Selecting the Best Option for Your Home
You can obtain an estimate of the lifetime cost of a furnace by combining the operating cost, determined by the AFUE value and the above energy factors, with the purchase and installation cost. This is a calculation that an HVAC contractor should be willing to complete for multiple models so that you can get the best fit for your home.
If you’re thinking about replacing your furnace and want a professional’s help to determine the most economical furnace for your Lorain, Erie or Cuyahoga county home, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area