Research by the U.S. Energy Information Administration suggests that nearly one quarter of all residential energy consumption is used by gas-burning furnaces. With L.A.’s average lows in the 50s (or below) for seven months of the year, any legislation that mandates improved furnace efficiency would be good news. There is an update on energy efficiency standards in the works, but what it means to Angelinos is still undetermined.
Scale of Comparison
The most viable measure of a furnace’s performance is its Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, or AFUE. It allows apples-to-apples comparisons of different appliances by attempting to predict average efficiency over a season of actual in-home use, rather than in the rarified atmosphere of a testing laboratory.
AFUE is calculated by calculating “energy in” over “energy out.” Energy consumed (mostly the gas burned) is compared to energy delivered (the heated air sent to your living space). That ratio comes out as a percentage; the higher that value, the more efficient the furnace.
Efforts to Raise Efficiency Standards
The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) lays down, and enforces, the regulations which determine minimum AFUE’s for gas-burning furnaces. The current legislation was arrived at in 1987, and made law in 1992. It mandates that furnaces must be at least 78 percent efficient. Clearly, a great many technological advances have been made in the intervening decades, so that figure could probably be increased.
In fact, the DOE has tried to do so on several occasions. Challenges in the courts have prevented the updates from getting on the books. Perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t the energy companies that held up progress, but, rather, a coalition of efficiency advocates and equipment manufacturers. They maintain that the legislative process can sanction only the highest feasible level of performance, which should be determined at state level, not federally.
Current Status
Thus, no ruling on energy efficiency standards for gas furnaces has yet been made. To understand your options fully, you still need to consult a qualified HVAC technician. For that, customers in Los Angeles and Ventura vounties have been relying on Around the Clock A/C and Heating since 1967.
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 energy efficiency standards and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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