One of the trickiest parts of navigating a new heating system installation for a house is figuring out energy efficiency ratings and what they mean. People want their heating systems to use less energy if possible, but they may not understand what the efficiency ratings mean and if it’s worth it to pay more to install a high-efficiency system. Understanding sealed combustion furnace design can also help clarify which systems offer better energy performance.
What’s the difference between AFUE ratings for gas vs. electric furnaces?
- Gas furnaces typically have AFUE ratings around 90% or higher, they lose some heat through exhaust
- Electric furnaces show 100% AFUE because all the electricity is converted into heat, with no exhaust losses
- But 100% AFUE doesn’t mean lower operating cost, electricity is often more expensive than natural gas, making electric units costlier to run in many regions
- Efficiency ratings don’t account for energy cost, so a lower AFUE gas furnace may still be cheaper to operate than a “perfect” electric one
Making the choice for a new central heating system is much easier when you have the assistance of our Madera, CA, HVAC experts. It’s our job to see you have the right heating system for your house, and we’ll assist you with figuring out efficiency ratings and all the other important factors that go into new system selection.
In this post, we’ll look at an example of where efficiency ratings can be confusing for homeowners, which is how the AFUE ratings for furnaces differ between gas and electric models.
We’ve often talked about maintaining safety with gas furnaces, which is a topic that concerns many homeowners. But what about electric furnaces? Some homes must rely on this type of heater because they lack a connection to a gas main. Are electric furnaces much safer? Is there any reason to worry about them?