Is your Los Angeles household in dire need of a home heating upgrade? Knowing the energy efficiency ratings of replacement HVAC equipment is important, whether you are choosing to switch out your old furnace or upgrading with more energy efficient options. A unit’s AFUE rating is an especially important number to know.
AFUE – Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency – is a percentage-based number that reflects how much heat a furnace can produce with its allotted fuel. For instance, a furnace with a listed AFUE of 80 uses 80 percent of its allotted fuel energy for home heating. The remaining amount, 20 percent in this instance, denotes how much that specific furnace loses in fuel energy. Often, this occurs through the household’s chimney flue and various home air leaks.
Recent years have seen a lot of improvements in home energy efficiency. Modern electric furnaces often boast of AFUE ratings in the 90 percentile. This can make it a great cost-effective heating solution for many homeowners. However, such savings depend on the local cost of electricity. Before buying, it is important to consider your long-term fuel economy. The rising price of electricity in Los Angeles may cause electric furnaces to become too expensive further down the road.
High-efficiency gas furnaces may thus be seen as an ideal alternative. Most modern gas furnaces have energy efficiency ratings in the mid-90 percentile, with some as high as 98 percent. This cost-effective solution can thus provide you with significant yearly savings on your utility bills. Additionally, many newer units offer advanced features that further cut down on energy use and can improve your home comfort. These features include:
- Dual heat exchanger – This allows exhausted gas to be recaptured and transformed into a secondary heat energy.
- Two-stage gas valve – This valve allows for two levels of home heating to conserve energy. On milder winter days, the furnace operates at a lower initial speed to meet precise home heating needs. When the weather drops, the furnace increases heating output as necessary.
To learn more about AFUE ratings, contact Los Angeles experts at Around the Clock.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about AFUE ratings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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