How are furnaces rated?
A. Furnaces are rated based on their AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency). AFUE measures the amount of heat actually delivered to your house compared to the amount of fuel that you must supply. The U.S. Department of Energy has made the minimum sold to be 78%. Residential furnaces AFUE range from 78%- 98.5%. The higher the percent the more efficient it is. With higher efficiency expect to pay more, but remember you will re-coupe that additional cost in utility cost savings and reduce the environmental emissions from 20%-50%. Q. How are heat pumps rated? A. To start this answer I need to clarify that heat pumps both heat and cool your home. So in this answer Im talking about the heating mode of a heat pump. Heat pumps are given HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor). The higher the HSPF the more efficient it is. New heat pumps manufactured after 2005 are required to have an HSPF of at least 7.7. The most efficient heat pump has an HSPF of 10. Q. What is a heat pump? Is it bette
