Online System Quote
Wondering whether it is time to replace your home’s heating system? Before you decide, you should probably do the math to see if a high-efficiency system would be the right choice for your home.
The energy efficiency of furnaces and boilers is most often measured in terms of AFUE, or Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. AFUE tells you what percent of the fuel’s energy gets turned into usable heat energy, as opposed to being lost through the exhaust or due to other inefficiencies. Though some new models have AFUE numbers as high as 98 percent, your current system is probably much less efficient; some older models have ratings as low as 60 percent.
You can translate AFUE into dollars and cents for your North Carolina home to see how much a high-efficiency system would save you each year. If you know your total heating bill for the past year, and the AFUE of your existing furnace or boiler, you can find out how much of the fuel was utilized by multiplying the two numbers. For example, if your heating bills were $1,500, and the AFUE is 75 percent, then $1,500 x 0.75 = $1,125.
So, of you had 100 percent efficiency and zero waste, your total fuel bill would only be $1,125. No system is 100 percent efficient, but some get close. If you are considering a 98 percent AFUE system, you can account for the 2 percent waste by dividing $1,125 by 0.98. That gives you $1,147.96 as your new bill, because $1,147.96 x 0.98 also equals $1,125 of heat output. Compared to what you are paying now, that is a savings of over $350 each and every year.
To learn more about high-efficiency heating options and other ways to reduce energy consumption in your Charlotte-area home, contact the experts at Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical.
