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Question: How Are Home Heating Furnaces Rated?

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Question: How Are Home Heating Furnaces Rated?

Furnaces are rated by the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratio, which is the percent of heat produced for every dollar of fuel consumed, or how efficiently a furnace converts gas into heating energy. Its AFUE rating is measured as a percentage.

Like the miles-per-gallon rating on your automobile, the higher the AFUE rating, the lower your fuel costs. An AFUE of 90% means that 90% of the energy in the fuel becomes heat for the home and the other 10% escapes up the chimney and elsewhere. According to the EPA- AFUE doesn’t include the heat losses of the duct system or piping, which can be as much as 35% of the energy for output of the furnace when ducts are located in the attic, garage, or other partially conditioned or unconditioned space. All furnaces manufactured today must meet at least 80% AFUE in the south and 90% AFUE in the North.

If your furnace is 1015 years old, it very well may fall below the current furnace minimum and waste energy – costing you money.

When shopping for high-efficiency furnaces and boilers, look for the ENERGY STAR® label. If you live in a cold climate, it usually makes sense to invest in the highest-efficiency system. In milder climates with lower annual heating costs, the extra investment required to go from 80% to 90% to 95% efficiency may be hard to justify.

This doesn’t mean that you should only select a furnace solely based on its AFUE rating. The efficiency rating is just one factor to consider when looking for a new furnace. Need to replace your heater? Learn more about the cost of furnace replacement here.

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It was time to service the fan blower unit and had a pleasant experience again working with Glenn and his trainee George. I appreciated the time Glenn took to ensure George's work met the expectations that Glenn would have performed the job to. It's not often companies have seasoned experienced employees that can share their knowledge and experience with new staff. I hope Thomson keeps Glenn around for many more years!

Over the years, we've used Thomson to do major HVAC construction, equipment replacement and service. They are always very thorough, knowledgeable, considerate and the prices are fair. They have a lot of experienced technicians on their team and communicating with the office is easy. We get our system serviced every 6 months (very important) and they actually offer a monthly payment plan for that. I didn't take off a star (because they do offer a fantastic service), but it is difficult if something breaks during the weekend. They won't respond until offices open on Monday. But they will get you in as soon as possible and the service is great.

Very honest company and great customer service. It’s been a long time since we had our AC unit inspected and after all these years it’s still good to go and ready for summer! Ethan did a great job answering all my questions. Quick, efficient and very knowledgeable. Thanks Thomson!

Ethan was great and was very helpful in helping me understand the unit. He came out the same day I called and had parts on his truck to make the repairs right then and there. Ethan was very friendly and I would recommend him and Thomson Air Conditioning to anyone in the future.

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