When it comes to heating installation, Rockville MD residents are faced with a choice. Our winters can be cold, but not nearly as cold as they are further north, which may convince you to delay installation of a new heating system and limp along with an old or outdated system. In many cases, this can be a mistake. New heating systems entail a larger up-front cost, but can save a great deal in the ensuing years by keeping monthly bills in check. How much can you save by installing a new heating system? It depends, but the general answer is “quite a bit.”
Furnaces and boilers measure their efficiency by an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating, which is measured in a percentage. The percentage is how much of the unit’s energy actually goes into heating the home and how much is lost to other factors. So a furnace with an 80% AFUE rating is losing 20% of its energy to waste and inefficiency. New furnaces are often more efficient than old furnaces, and the EnergyStar label is an easy way to spot particularly efficient models. Gas furnaces need an AFUE rating of 90% to qualify for the label, while oil furnaces need an AFUE rating of 85%.
The AFUE makes for a handy shorthand in determining how much you can save by installing a new system. Say you pay $300 a month in heating bills and you’re using an older furnace with an AFUE of 50%. That means you’re only getting $150 worth of heat out of it, even though you’re paying $300. Say you replace it with a new furnace that has an AFUE of 90%: a net improvement of 40%. Suddenly, that $300 bill gets cut to $166 and change, without any loss in heating power. Over the course of the heater’s lifetime, that can add up to quite a bit: $2000 a year!
For heating installation, Rockville, MD can turn to Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating for help. Our qualified staff can discuss your options with you, then set up a schedule for installation.