Furnace Efficiency Ratings and What They Mean

Published on January 21, 2017

There are several things to contemplate when you purchase a new furnace:

How much is your budget for a new furnace?
How much can you afford each month in heating bills?
Do you have anyone in the home with respiratory problems?
How big does the system need to be to heat your size of home?

But have you ever thought about your furnace efficiency rating? Are you sure what it means?

Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning is here to help you understand what the furnace efficiency rating is and how it can affect your home and your budget.

The furnace efficiency rating helps establish how much energy is required to heat your home and, in the long run, how much it will cost you. Essentially, the higher your furnace efficiency rating the less energy your heating system requires to heat your home.

The AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating is the value that reflects how much heat the furnace will produce compared to the amount of energy required to produce the heat. For instance, if your furnace has a AFUE rating of 90%, this means 10% of energy used is lost and 90% actually becomes heat for your home.

Note that this rating does not consider the potential heat lost through leaking or poorly installed duct work or attic insulation. The duct work in varying homes is different – some high quality, some substandard, so the AFUE rating does not factor this into their rating. If you feel that your heating equipment or duct system is not energy efficient, give Service Experts a call today and we will give you a free in-home analysis and help you find out how much more energy and money you could potentially save each month.

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