by High Performance HVAC | Gas Furnaces |
Gas Furnace AFUE Definition | HVAC Terminology. AFUE or Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency Heating systems consume approximately 35% to 50% of a typical home’s energy budget. Therefore the government has come up with a way to measure efficiency ratings of furnaces so they can set a standard for minimum efficiencies.
The definition of AFUE is – Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. AFUE is a rating that reflects how efficiently a gas furnace converts fuel to energy. A gas furnace with an AFUE of 95 means that approximately 95 percent of the fuel is utilized to provide warmth to your home, while the remaining 10 percent flows up the flue and into the atmosphere.
Therefore you are actually using 95% of the fuel you are paying for and the other 5% is being wasted up the flue vent.
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by High Performance HVAC | Gas Furnaces |
High-Efficiency Electronic Ignition Gas Furnaces are here. They are the next step up from the standing pilot gas furnace. These gas furnaces are more efficient than the standing pilot furnaces but more complex in design. There are three types of electronic ignition gas furnaces: the intermittent spark pilot, the intermittent hot surface ignition pilot (Honeywell Smartvalve and ignition assembly), and the hot surface ignition furnaces.
While the three are different they all offer higher efficiencies and are both controlled by solid-state circuit boards. Many of these furnaces also have higher efficient heat exchangers.
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by High Performance HVAC | Technical Reference |
SEER Definition: The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio is a measure of the cooling efficiency of your air conditioner or heat pump. The higher the SEER number the better the system is at converting electricity into cooling your home. Simply put, manufacturers use it to differentiate between less efficient equipment to the more efficient equipment they sell.
Equipment is tested in a third-party laboratory and the results are certified by ARI. Furthermore, the result of the testing can be looked up in the ARI database for each of equipment if you have the model number. It should be noted that ARI uses strict testing parameters in testing HVAC equipment. Additionally, these standards are issued by ANSI or other respected organizations that issue standardization rules throughout the industry. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Boilers |
Boiler Combustion Efficiency | HVAC Heating Systems - It is important to understand that a commercial application (can also apply to residential boiler applications) is going to consume a large amount of the energy budget, therefore it is important to track efficiency ratings because a slight drop in the efficiency can cause a sharp increase in the energy costs.
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