A good way to keep your home cozy and warm during the winter is to make sure that you are getting the most out of your heater. Heating your home is one of the biggest energy costs you’ll face in winter. With heating oil and electricity prices on the rise, it’s more important than ever to find ways to make your heating system work more efficiently.
Also check: Optimal Temperature To Set Your Heat To In The Winter
Energy Efficient Heating
The cost of heating your home can add up quickly, so why not make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck? We’ll show you three ways to find out if your heater is energy efficient and how to improve on your current situation.
1. Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency :
The annual fuel utilization efficiency, or AFUE, is the best way to determine your heater’s ideal efficiency. If you have a higher AFUE, then it means that your heater runs more efficiently and will save you money on your energy bills.
The AFUE rating is a measurement of how efficient your heater is at creating warm air. To determine the best value for your money, you should look for a heater with an AFUE rating of at least .80. An AFUE rating of .8 means that 80% of the energy from the gas that you use is going toward heating your home. The remaining 20% is wasted through heat loss, which can cause your utility bill to rise.
Heaters that have an AFUE of less than 90% are considered to be inefficient. Heaters with an AFUE of 100% or more are considered to be very efficient. An AFUE rating is the average efficiency of your heater over a given period.
For example, if you have a zero-emissions Electric Heater rated for 90% AFUE and it ran for an entire year, it would use 10,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity to produce 10,000,000 BTUs or the same energy as 1,000 gallons of fuel oil.
2. Age of Heater:
How old is your central heating system? If it’s over 10 years old, you could be wasting a substantial amount of money on an inefficient and outdated system. A new central heating system can cut your energy bills by up to 25%, and reduce carbon emissions by 5% – making it a great investment for the future. With government grants available for those switching to more energy-efficient heating systems, now is the time to consider a new boiler.
It’s always a good idea to think about the age of your heater to ensure that it’s energy-efficient. Here are some facts you may not know about your heating system:
- The life expectancy of a gas furnace is 15 to 20 years.
- The life expectancy of an electric furnace is 10 to 12 years.
- The life expectancy of a heat pump is 15 to 20 years.
As your heating system ages, you may notice that your bills are higher than they used to be. That’s because your heating system is growing older, and parts of it will likely wear out or break down. If you track how the age of your system affects your bills over time, you can determine when it’s time to buy a new furnace or air conditioner.
3. Compare Bills from Previous Years:
There are a lot of variables that factor into your utility bills. Weather conditions, the use of heating and cooling systems, and changes in usage patterns can all make it difficult to identify the source of higher bills from month to month. The absolute best way to figure out if your heating system is working as efficiently as it used to is to compare your bills from previous years. If you notice a pattern in the dates when the peak of your bill, then you know that there’s something wrong with your system.
Also check: Why is Cold Air Blowing Out of Vents when the Heat is On?
Although you may be comfortable with your current heater, it may not be as energy efficient as you think. By using these simple tips, you can quickly and easily find out how energy efficient your current heater is and what you can do to improve it.
If you are unsure about your heater’s level of efficiency, contact the heating professionals at K2 Mechanical. Our team can advise you on the proper way to maintain your unit so that it is at optimal performance levels. Contact us today!
