Many people refer to heating efficiency ratings in vague terms and lack understanding about what they mean. Every heating system that’s released onto the market comes with a documented energy efficiency rating. This rating is an accurate reflection of how well the system uses its supplied power and/or fuel over the course of an entire year. If you want to get the best return on investment in a new heating system you need to understand how heating efficiency ratings work. Here is a brief primer that should help you to better understand some of the term and concepts that are related to heating efficiency.
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE):
This is the standard measurement that is used for the annual fuel efficiency for a combustion based heating system. The AFUE also applies to the performance of boilers and furnaces. Each system is given an AFUE rating that reflects how well it makes use of the fuel that it combusts when operating. This can get very complicated quickly so we will keep the concepts easy to understand here.
Imagine that you have a furnace that has a 90% AFUE rating, this means that the furnace will make the best use of 90% of the fuel that it’s supplied with for combustion. The remainder of the fuel will usually be vented out of the home as part of the exhaust. In engineering terms, there is no such thing as a combustion system that is 100% energy efficient. The important thing to remember is to find a system that has the highest AFUE rating available. The higher the AFUE rating is, the cheaper it will be to run throughout the entire year.
Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF):
This heating rating is different from the AFUE, and it’s used to describe the performance of air source heat pump systems. A heat pump doesn’t rely on using burned fuel to produce heat, and it operates in a very different way. A heat pump works by evaporating and condensing a refrigerant to move heat around the home in a circulatory fashion. The only power source needed is electricity to get the heat pump started, so this is what the HSPF measures in its equations.
The HSPF ratings are calculated using an equation to measure the amount of heat that’s generated compared to the number of watt hours of electricity that are used. A higher efficiency heat pump will use less electricity over the course of a season of heating your home. If you would prefer to use a heat pump to heat a home, the HSPF rating should be carefully examined. A higher HSPF rating will indicate that system is more efficient and research will be needed to choose the most efficient model.
Over the course of a year, the energy bills for heating can amount to a significant amount of money. Choosing equipment with higher energy efficiency ratings can really help to save money without compromising your levels of indoor comfort. If you’re in need of expert advice, a local HVAC specialist will be able to help. A professional will understand the importance of energy efficiency and can advise you on the best system to suit your needs.