AFUE Energy-Efficient Furnaces

“Green” and Energy Efficiency seem to be the hot words lately.  However, sometimes it is hard to comprehend what they mean and what percentages mean what etc…  FLAME is here to help explain to you about energy efficient furnaces.

Furnaces are rated with an “AFUE” number.  This stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency.  The number will most likely be a two-digit number such as 80.  An AFUE rating of 80 or 80% means that for every dollar you spend-80 cents will go towards heating your home, while 20 cents is wasted.  (20 cents may not seem like a lot but try multiplying that by more than 1 dollar!)

Currently, any new furnace installed has to have at least 80% AFUE.  Yet, if you have an older home and furnace you may want to find out about its efficiency, because there are still lower AFUE furnaces (like 50%) out there!  Some furnaces can get up to around 96% AFUE which is significantly better than 80%.  The higher the AFUE, the more efficient it is and the greater the savings.  (Keep in mind that a higher AFUE furnace will probably cost some more initially).

Now that you know all about Energy Efficient Furnaces and AFUE, you can get out their looking (or impress your friends and family with your knowledge)  Contact FLAME if you have any questions or comments!

Also check out this website! “Understanding AFUE Ratings” by Alan King where some of this info came from!