When it comes to heating your Illinois home, energy efficiency levels are important. The more efficient the heat source, the more money you will save on your heating costs. Don’t settle for just any new boiler, be sure to find one with a high AFUE rating that will be able to keep up with your home comfort needs.
When looking at boilers either in person or online, you will likely come across the term “AFUE rating”. AFUE stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, and it is a standard used to measure a boiler’s efficiency. So just how does this system work? Read on to find out about AFUE ratings or contact our HVAC specialists to speak with someone directly about which boiler model is the right fit for your Madison County home.
What Is an AFUE Rating?
AFUE ratings measure how efficient your boiler is at using energy to heat your home. To get an accurate rating for each product, these numbers are assigned after a year’s worth of fuel efficiency measurements have been taken.
What does each measurement mean? Let’s take an example; when you see an AFUE rating of 90%, this means that 90% of the energy in your boiler’s fuel source becomes heat. This heat is then sent inside your home. The remaining 10% is lost before entering your home.
Keep in mind that the AFUE rating does not take into consideration heated air that can get lost in your homes ducts or pipes!
What Is an Optimal Rating for My Home’s Boiler?
Conveniently, the Federal Trade Commission now requires all new boilers to show their AFUE rating directly on the front or side of the unit. This allows you to have a better understanding of how efficient your new boiler will be.
Your AFUE rating will depend on the type of fuel used. Consider the following standards for gas and oil powered boilers:
- Gas fired hot water boiler – Should have an AFUE greater than 82
- Gas fired steam boiler – Should have an AFUE greater than 80
- Oil fired hot water boiler – Should have an AFUE greater than 84
- Oil fired steam boiler – Should have an AFUE greater than 82
These are minimum standards should be a base point for you to consider. When it comes to optimal efficiency, the greater the AFUE, the better. This will allow your boiler to heat your home more consistently, while saving you money on your energy costs.
Learn more about boiler efficiency ratings from Energy.gov.
Help with Choosing the Right Boiler for Your Madison County, Illinois Home
Our team has been helping homeowners in Madison County get the best out of their home comfort systems for over 65 years. If you need help choosing the right boiler for your home, the team at Ernst Heating can help. Our team will discuss your home’s heating issues with you and help you choose the boiler that will keep your home comfortable and your energy costs down.
If you are looking to have a new boiler installed and you want to make sure you get the most efficient system for your home, give us a call today at 618.217.1836 to schedule your service.