CRS Referred Products
Heating
The Home's Largest Energy User
The comfort of you and your family depends on the quality of your home’s
heating system. If you have an older gas furnace you can get more heat for your
money by upgrading to a more efficient model. If you do not have gas now,
consider switching-gas is lower in cost than other fuel types.
Look for ENERGY STAR® and Save
A natural gas forced air furnace with warm air distributed through ducts is
the most common form of central heating. Many older furnaces have
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings as low as 65 percent. AFUE is
the way efficiency is measured in heating equipment. Think of buying one dollar
worth of energy and using it in a 65 percent AFUE (efficient) furnace, only 65 cents
worth of heat goes into your home. The other 35 cents is lost up your
furnace flue or chimney.
New ENERGY STAR gas furnaces have AFUE efficiency ratings as
high as 97 percent. That is enough of an efficiency improvement
to cut your space heating costs by more than 30 percent! The
most efficient ENERGY STAR furnaces use a secondary heat exchanger to extract
still more heat out of the hot gases that use to be lost outdoors up the chimney.
The secondary heat exchanger also cools the exhaust gases so they can be
vented horizontally through plastic pipes out the wall of your home.
High efficiency ENERGY STAR furnaces save energy by drawing combustion air
from outside instead of heated air from inside the house. There is exhaust gas
condensation that creates water from high efficiency furnaces that must be
pumped out or drained to an approved location. Ask your contractor for furnace
efficiency options and a recommended model.
How About A Rebate?
Puget Sound Energy is offering a $250 rebate to consumers who replace their
existing gas furnace, convert to gas, or build a new home using an efficient
ENERGY STAR furnace. Ask your heating contractor for the rebate details.
Energy Code Requirements
Furnaces with 80 percent AFUE are required by code and cost less than
high efficiency furnaces, but they cost more to operate. One advantage
is they can be installed using the existing furnace vent. Your heating
contractor or Puget Sound Energy can help you calculate the payback
of a higher efficiency furnace. Your family’s lifestyle, home size and the
lower operating costs of an ENERGY STAR furnace can pay for itself in a few years-sooner
with a $250 rebate!
Features
Recent developments in furnace technology have created variable speed
blowers and staged gas valves to enhance comfort and efficiency in both
ENERGY STAR and less efficient furnaces. Furnaces with these features start out
on low fan speed and a low heat output setting for comfortable and efficient
heating when the weather is mild. If the desired inside temperature is not
reached quickly then the fan and burner increases to produce more heat faster.
Space and Water Heating
“COMBO SYSTEMS”
A combo system starts with an efficient gas water heater that provides the
energy source for both space and domestic water heating. When space
heating is needed a pump circulates hot water from the water heater to an
air handler coil (connected to ductwork), individual fan coil units installed in
the wall of each room, or pipes in the floor or ceiling to radiate heat evenly.
Combination systems can provide abundant hot water and minimize gas
piping and venting since only one is needed compared to if you installed two
separate pieces of equipment.
Gas Boilers
Gas Boilers, also called “hydronic” systems, heat water and circulate it to
baseboard units, radiators, or use a series of pipes in the floor or ceiling to
radiate heat evenly. Hydronic systems offer quiet operation, even heat, and a
high comfort level in your home. However, they are usually more expensive to install than forced-air
systems. You will need a separate forced air system for air filtration and air
conditioning. High efficiency boilers reaching AFUE of plus 90 percent are
commonly available.
Find the “ZONE”
One thing to think about, especially if you have a large home, is creating
heating “zones.” With proper zoning, you may be able to save on your annual
energy costs and dramatically improve comfort. There are a number of ways
to zone heating systems:
- Hydronic heating systems: install thermostatically controlled valves that allow hot water to flow only to the rooms that need heat.
- Forced-air systems: install thermostatically controlled dampers in the supply ducts.
- Install more than one furnace or boiler, each serving a specific area of the home.
Proper Sizing and Duckwork
The system you choose should be large enough to keep you comfortable, but
not so large that it wastes energy and compromises comfort. A qualified
heating contractor will size the furnace heating output by performing a heatloss
calculation for your home. They should also check the delivery system
throughout your home. Supply and return air ducts must be sized properly.
A system that’s too big or too small won’t be efficient and won’t keep you
comfortable. Often, ductwork develops leaks or may have fallen from supports.
Ductwork should be checked thoroughly, repaired and sealed, and insulated if
it is located in an unheated area.
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