If you own a home in Eugene, heating installation is going to occupy your full attention sooner or later. We need reliable heaters to handle our cold, wet weather, and while proper maintenance can keep yours going for a long time, every heater breaks down sooner or later. When considering a new heater, there’s a lot of things to keep in mind, including a strange little number called an AFUE rating. What does AFUE mean? And more importantly, why should you pay attention to it when buying a new furnace?
The term stands for “annual fuel utilization efficiency,” and as you may have guessed, it measures the efficiency of the furnace. It’s measured in a percentage, representing the amount of the furnace’s energy that actually goes into generating heat, rather than being lost to waste and inefficiency. So for example, a furnace with an 80% AFUE generates heat with 80% of its energy, with the other20% lost to waste.
Obviously, the higher the AFUE rating, the more efficient the furnace itself is. And as you may have guessed, newer units tend to have higher AFUE ratings than older units, which have lost efficiency thanks to outdated technology and the wear and tear of regular use. In fact, as of May 2013, the U.S. Government stipulates that all new oil furnaces must have a minimum AFUE rating of 75% and gas furnaces must have a minimum AFUE rating of 80%. If you have an older furnace, it’s almost certain to have a lower rating than this.
Gauging the AFUE rating of your furnace is just one of the steps you need to take, along with sizing your home properly and deciding if you want to use a traditional central system or an alternate model such as a heat pump. If you’re asking “what does AFUE mean?” contact the experts at Comfort Flow Heating for advice. We can make recommendations for you based on your individual needs, then set up a time for installation that matches your schedule. Heating installation service in Eugene is no laughing matter. Let our trained staff of heating installation professionals help make the process easy for you.
