Buying A Furnace: What The AFUE Rating Means And Why It Matters

Your furnace is a crucial part of your household efficiency and comfort. It is important that you keep fuel efficiency and comfort in mind when searching for a new one. Unfortunately, many homeowners know very little about furnaces and how to correctly gauge their efficiency.

That is where AFUE ratings come in. AFUE, or annual fuel utilization efficiency, is a measure used to determine the ratio of total energy used by a furnace or boiler versus the amount of energy it actually converts to heat for your home. So, if your furnace has an AFUE rating of 65 percent, that means it only converts 65 percent of the total energy it uses into heat. The other 35 percent is essentially wasted energy.

If you are considering different furnaces for your home, the AFUE rating is definitely something you should keep in mind. Even if you don’t mind wasting a little bit of energy, it is important to realize that when the fuel bills come around, you end up paying for all of the energy your furnace uses, not just the amount that is converted into heat. That’s why these AFUE ratings are so important. They have a huge impact on your utility bills. The more efficient your heating system is, the less money you end up spending on wasted energy.

In this economy, saving some money is nothing to be taken lightly. Considering high efficiency furnaces is one sure-fire way to do so. The cost of buying one of these furnaces with a great AFUE rating is high, but if you’re currently using a significantly lower-efficiency one, it’s sure to make a huge difference in your bills down the line. So, if you can afford to make the initial investment, you certainly won’t be regretting it any time soon.

For help determining the best HVAC system for your home, contact the experts at Overland Park Heating and Cooling. We can help you better understand AFUE ratings and answer any other questions you might have regarding your home’s heating and cooling needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Overland Park Heating & Cooling services Overland Park and surrounding areas in Kansas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!