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A Guide to AFUE Ratings: 2 Critical Things to Look For in a High-Efficiency Furnace

Heating & Cooling Tips

woman-looking-for-high-efficiency-furnace-jeremy-kcThe average home furnace is often the greatest energy hog in the house. Luckily, recent technological advances have brought high-efficiency furnaces into the marketplace.

These furnaces not only use less energy, but they are also better at heating up your home in the winter months while seeing drastic a reduction in the cost of your utilities. If you’re in the market for a new furnace, how can you be sure that the one you’ve selected is high-efficiency? Well, the professionals at Jeremy are here to break it down:

Related Read: 3 Simple Steps to Keep Your Furnace from Failing This Fall

Check the AFUE Rating

The information you need lies with your furnace’s EPA-mandated AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating. This rating is listed on every new furnace and shows what percentage of fuel will be converted directly to heat. While older furnace models could be anywhere from 56% to 70% efficient, high-efficiency models are converting 90% of fuel to heat or more. Such models will also be marked with the ENERGY STAR label.

Related Read: How to Know When It’s Time to Replace Your Furnace

Does It Have a Second Heat Exchanger?

In addition, high-efficiency furnaces also feature some modern innovations that you should be sure to look for when shopping. They’ll always have a second heat exchanger, which allows the furnace to better extract heat from flue gases. And unlike furnaces of the past, which are far less efficient, they’ll have a sealed combustion chamber eliminating loss of heat.

Choose The Right Installer

Once you’ve selected a suitable furnace, it’s important to contact the right professional for installation. The right contractor will not only install your furnace quickly and correctly but will also be able to point out areas of your home where you can improve heat retention, such as leaky heating ducts.

If you’re looking for a new high-efficiency furnace, Jeremy Electrical, Heating & Cooling can help! Contact us online today or call us at (913) 375-0070 for a free consultation and learn how much you can save with a new furnace.