When it comes to purchasing a new heating system for your home, there are many great options. Furnaces are the most common due to their affordability and versatility in using different fuel types. Nowadays, you can purchase a high-efficiency furnace model. Here are some benefits of upgrading to a high-efficiency furnace.
What Is a High-Efficiency Furnace?
Before we discuss high-efficiency furnaces, it’s important to describe the efficiency of a normal furnace. Furnaces can run on natural gas, heating oil, propane, or electricity. Electric furnaces have a 100% efficiency rating, so there’s no need for a high-efficiency model. On the other hand, furnaces that burn fuel, like natural gas or heating oil, tend to have a standard operating efficiency between 78% and 84%.
This rating is given in the form of AFUE, which stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency. It describes how efficiently a furnace can convert fuel to heat. The rating takes the total amount of fuel used by the unit over an entire heating season and divides that by the amount of heat produced in the form of BTUs. High-efficiency furnaces have an AFUE rating between 90% and 97%.
How Are They More Efficient?
When you first discover that there are high-efficiency furnaces, one of the very first questions you may have is what makes them more efficient than standard models. The key lies in the furnace’s condensing function. With a standard furnace, once the fuel is burned, its exhaust byproducts are vented straight up through a flue so that they can be dispersed safely outside.
A high-efficiency furnace has a secondary heat exchanger instead of venting those fumes directly outdoors. All the exhaust byproducts are forced through the secondary heat exchanger to help recapture some of the heat still left in them. This significantly cools the exhaust byproducts down so that they can be vented out of a typical PVC pipe. You can even enjoy using a wall vent instead of a roof vent.
Lower Energy Bills
Probably the most crucial benefit of investing in a high-efficiency furnace is that it uses less energy to heat your home. This translates to more energy savings for you throughout the entire winter season. While the upfront cost of a high-efficiency furnace is higher than that of a standard furnace, most homeowners can recapture the difference in price within the first year through the energy savings they receive on their heating bills.
Better Overall Comfort
One really cool feature of most high-efficiency furnaces is that they come with a modulating burner and a variable-speed blower. This allows your system to operate at anywhere between 40% and 100% capacity, depending on your specific needs at the time. For example, if the weather outside is pretty fair, your system may only operate at 40% or 50% capacity to comfortably heat your home.
However, if a cold spell comes through your area and significantly decreases the temperature, your high-efficiency furnace can switch to operating at 100% capacity. This will keep your home at a comfortably warm and sustained temperature. Most standard-efficiency furnaces don’t come standard with modulating burners and variable-speed blowers.
Lower Carbon Footprint
Another great advantage of investing in a high-efficiency furnace for your home is that it can help lower your household’s carbon footprint. Your new heating system will use much less energy than your old, outdated system. When you use less energy, you burn less fuel and emit fewer contaminants into the air.
Tax Incentives
One really cool feature of investing in a high-efficiency furnace is that it can make you eligible to receive some great tax incentives and rebates. The federal government offers homeowners a maximum tax rebate of $3,200 when they invest in a high-efficiency ENERGY STAR-certified furnace. You can check ENERGY STAR’s website to determine which furnaces are eligible for this tax incentive. Homeowners can claim up to 30% of the total cost of their new heating system.
Apart from the federal tax incentive under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2020, some state and local governments are offering homeowners tax incentives for investing in this type of energy-efficient HVAC system. You may even find that your local utility company will give you a rebate for purchasing this type of system for your home.
High Home Resale Value
If you plan to sell your home at any time in the near future, the type of HVAC system that you have will significantly impact its resale price. Investing in a high-efficiency furnace will increase your home’s resale value much more than investing in a standard-efficiency furnace.
Are There Any Drawbacks?
As with purchasing any new system for your home, you can expect a couple of drawbacks. The biggest drawback of a high-efficiency furnace is its higher upfront cost. If you have a very minimal budget for your furnace replacement, then getting a high-efficiency furnace may not be for you. Due to its complexity, this type of furnace will also be more expensive to install and repair. Most HVAC companies offer financing on approved credit to be used towards the installation cost and the furnace purchase.
Is It Worth the Investment?
When determining whether a high-efficiency furnace is a worthy investment for your home, you’ll need to take many different factors into consideration. One of the first and most important things you’ll want to consider is the type of climate you’re in. If you live in a very cold region of the country that regularly experiences temperatures close to freezing, you can save a bundle on your winter heating bills by investing in a high-efficiency furnace model. If you plan to stay in your home for a long time, it can be more feasible to invest in a high-efficiency furnace.
What Are Typical Maintenance Requirements?
One thing you’ll want to consider is the amount of maintenance that your new high-efficiency furnace will need to stay in good working condition. It’s important to get annual maintenance service from an HVAC technician so that your new furnace’s internal components receive the care they need to have a long and healthy lifespan.
You should regularly change your filters to help maintain adequate airflow and system efficiency. Most homeowners find that they need to replace their air filters every two to three months, but if you have a very large family or multiple pets, you may need to replace them more often.
Superior High-Efficiency Furnace Installation Service
All Klear offers high-efficiency furnace installation services for Springfield, MO. We can also assist with all your heating, air conditioning, indoor air quality, electrical, and plumbing needs. This includes installing, repairing, and maintaining furnaces, air conditioners, whole-home humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and air purification systems. For plumbing services, our plumbers can perform general plumbing tasks and install water heaters, sump pumps, gas lines, and much more.
Contact our friendly office staff today to schedule your next service appointment with one of our expert HVAC technicians!
