How to Tell If Your Furnace or Boiler Is Energy Efficient
October is here, and for many South Shore, MA families, that means apple picking, pie baking, jumping in piles of leaves, and watching Halloween movies. It’s also the perfect time to ensure that your home heating system is in top shape for the cold season ahead because if you haven’t already, you’ll be cranking up your heating system before you know it.
If you’re curious whether your furnace or boiler is energy efficient, Bridgewater Fuel is here to help you figure it out. Read this blog post to learn more about heater energy efficiency, how you can save more on fuel each winter, and how to increase your energy efficiency for years to come.
Top Ways to Determine if Your Heating System Is Energy Efficient
Check Your Heating Equipment’s AFUE Rating
AFUE, or Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, determines what percentage of fuel your equipment can turn into heat. For example, an AFUE of 75% means that ¾ of your heating oil will be transformed into heat, while ¼ is the by-product. An AFUE rating of 95% means that more of your heating oil will be used for heating, and less will be wasted.
You can typically find your heating system’s AFUE rating in your user manual or on a sticker placed inside the control panel of the heating system. If you need help finding this information, ask your Bridgewater HVAC technician during your annual tune-up.
Determine Your Heating System’s Age
Even the most efficient heating systems lose efficiency as they age. You can subtract about 5% efficiency for each year of your heating system’s operation: a 10-year-old furnace with 95% efficiency will only be operating at about 45% efficiency. Furnaces and boilers only last around 15 years or so, so if you’re considering an upgrade, you’ll significantly improve your fuel oil efficiency.
Calculate Your Savings with a Furnace or Boiler Upgrade
If you used the formula above to calculate your heating system’s current efficiency, subtract the number from a new, high-efficiency system’s rating of 98%. Let’s say your current equipment is operating at 48% efficiency. Upgrading to 98% with a new system will provide you with heating oil savings of up to 50%! Consider your home heating budget, and estimate how much you could save. A new upgrade might be more worthwhile than you originally thought.
Related Post: How to Customize and Reduce Your Heating Bills
Considering an Upgrade? Contact BridgeWater Fuel Company
Whew! We know that was a lot of math, but you did great, and now you can kick back and relax knowing how much money a heating system upgrade could save you. If you’d like help learning the AFUE rating of your equipment or would like to find out the price of a high-efficiency upgrade from Bridgewater Fuel, get in touch with our HVAC experts! They’d love to assist you with a system that will keep your South Shore, Massachusetts home safe and cozy as we transition into the winter season.