Happy Spring, homeowners! Are you one of the many looking for ways to “Go Green” with energy-efficient solutions? Here at Jacobs Heating and Air Conditioning, we have a few recommendations for you going into the new season, including using residential gas furnace systems that produce energy savings, reduces greenhouse gasses, and decreases utility bills. Here is why we recommend them:
You need to have a system functioning at its best! Proper heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are important to maintaining a comfortable and healthy environment for residences. Collectively, these systems account for about 50 percent of all electricity used in a home. You will know it is time for a change if the rooms are too hot or too cold, there is excessive humidity or dust, your HVAC equipment needs frequent repair, your energy bills are going up, or the heating and cooling equipment is more than 10 years old. An upgrade is never a bad thing.
As our president, Brent Jacobs, said:
“Replacing your old HVAC units with new, energy-efficient models is a great start, but to make sure that you get the best performance, the new equipment must be properly installed. Improper installation can reduce efficiency by up to 30 percent and also shorten the equipment’s lifespan.”
Gas Furnaces tend to rate very well. Gas furnaces are generally rated by Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE), which demonstrates how much energy is being converted to heat. For example, an AFUE of 90 means that 90 percent of the fuel is being used to warm your home, while the other 10 percent escapes as exhaust with the combustion gases. New models, such as the Carrier Infinity® 98 Modulating Gas Furnace with Greenspeed™ Intelligence boast an impressive 98.5 percent AFUE, the highest you can buy in the market today with the smallest amount of greenhouse emissions! Cool stuff, right?
Older furnaces, typically with AFUE between 65 to 80 percent, will lose or waste heat, which then requires more energy to keep your home warm. In houses where heating units are kept in the basement or against an outside wall, the cold draft can also mean lost heat through the furnace cabinet. Today, energy-efficient furnaces reduce this heat escape by adding a blanket of insulation inside the cabinet walls! Stay warm and pay less.
Most gas furnaces also send a steady draft of warm air throughout the ventilation system and out the roof by allowing the hot air to rise naturally. In newer furnace models, even this small amount of heat is pulled into the heat exchanger at a constant flow, keeping the valuable warm air inside the system until it’s called to use. An upgrade, if you are in need of one, may not be a bad idea for being more comfortable and lowering bill costs!
You could be enjoying nice credits, too. Significant tax credits are available to homeowners from the state and federal government for the purchase and installation of a high-efficiency heating unit. For heating equipment purchased and placed in service between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2013, gas and oil furnaces with at least 95 percent AFUE can earn $150 in credit, taken out of personal income tax liability for Federal taxes. Various Oregon state tax credits are also accessible.
See us today and we can easily set you up with a newer, greener, gas furnace system. You won’t be disappointed.
“A high-efficiency furnace generally wears a higher price tag upfront, but it can make up the difference by reducing operating costs over the long run,” adds Jacobs. “Homeowners should weigh the costs of the various furnaces against their price and features, as well as environmental considerations.”
