by Cooper Climate Control
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While furnace replacement is recommended after approximately 15 years of service, sometimes you can benefit significantly by replacing an younger system. That’s because today’s high-efficiency furnaces are capable of rating as high as 97 percent in terms of AFUE. That’s quite an increase compared to older models which may carry efficiency ratings of 70 percent or less.
AFUE, or annul fuel utilization efficiency, indicates the level of efficiency with which your furnace uses energy. Thus, if your current model has an AFUE of 80 percent, you can consider that a 20-percent waste of consumed energy. By upgrading to a model that rates 90 percent AFUE, you could cut that waste in half.
What’s more, older systems tend to be improperly sized. Even if your system was sized correctly originally, energy-efficient upgrades to your household may have decreased the necessary heating capacity of your home. As a result, your system may now be larger than needed. By upgrading to a smaller model, you can improve efficiency while cutting energy costs.
For a quick estimation of just how much an upgrade could save you in annual heating costs, follow these simple steps:
- Find the difference between the AFUE of your current system and the potential upgrade.
- Find last winter’s heating bills and add up the total costs of heating your home.
- Multiply your total cost of heating by the difference in AFUE.
To find out how long it would take to recover your equipment and installation costs:
- Estimate total costs of upgrade (minus eligible tax credits).
- Divide the total costs of upgrade by the amount you’ll save in annual energy costs.
Of course, these calculations only provide a rough estimate of potential savings. For a more accurate assessment, contact one of our trained technicians for expert consultation. Call Cooper Climate Control today!
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
