November is here and the clocks have been moved back and hour, which means winter will be here soon and it’s finally feeling chilly outside. During this time of the year, many homeowners try to find ways to keep their home warm and comfortable, however, that can quickly get expensive as the temperature drops. There are many ways to try and maintain a lower energy bills, however one of the best ways to ensure the lowest energy costs possible is to make sure that your heater is energy efficient. Read on to learn about your heater and how to check its efficiency.
- One of the first things you can do to find out if your heater is energy efficient is check the AFUE, annual fuel utilization efficiency, rating. An AFUE rating is a percentage that measures how efficiently your heater can convert fuel into energy. The higher the ADUE rating, the more efficient the heater. Your heater’s AFUE rating can be found in its user’s manual or on a sticker located inside the furnace cabinet. To be considered high-efficiently you want your furnace to have a rating of 90% or higher, meaning 90% of the fuel being used is going towards heating your home.
- The next thing to do when checking your heater’s efficiently, is considering the heater’s age. The average life expectancy of a home’s heater is 15-20 years. Even if your heater began with a high AFUE rating, it can decline about 5% every year, especially when it is not properly maintained. With so many advances in HVAC technology, even a 10 year old system could benefit from an upgrade to make your home more energy efficient.
- The last thing to check to see if your heater is efficient is to compare energy bills. Compare your energy bill to a bill from the same time last year to see if it is significantly higher than it was a year prior. If you notice that your bill is higher, your heater may not be running as well as it could be. Tracking any shifts in your bills and noting any outside influences that may contribute to it will help you make smarter choices when heating your home.
Maintaining your heater’s efficiency is a great way to help keep your monthly energy bills from becoming extremely expensive, especially during the cold winter months ahead. If your heater is due for a upgrade or general maintenance, or if you need a new system, contact Airtech today!
