Replacing your own heating system with a condensing furnace will cut your energy bills considerably. These furnaces have the highest energy efficiency rating of any furnace available and over time, the fuel you save will offset the equipment and installation costs associated with these top-of-the line heaters.

What Makes Them Different

When gas burns, water vapor is a byproduct. It contains a lot of heat that goes up the chimney with an ordinary furnace. Condensing furnaces capture that hot water vapor and send it through a secondary heat exchanger that extracts and uses it to warm your home.

Energy Efficiency Ratings

All heating systems have efficiency ratings. AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) ratings apply to combustion furnaces and boilers. The least efficient available have 80 AFUE ratings, which means that 80 percent of the fuel they use goes toward home heating. The other 20 percent goes up the chimney.

Condensing furnaces have AFUE ratings that range from 90 to 98+. They are more efficient because they use the waste heat that would otherwise go up the chimney for home heating.

Home Heating Considerations

A condensing furnace costs more than a standard system and it has specific installation requirements. It makes sense to install one if:

• You like your home warm in the winter. Peachtree City winters can be cold, but overall, they’re considered mild. Unless you keep your home exceptionally warm, it will take you longer to recoup the extra investment.
• You have an exterior wall where you can run the fresh air intake vent and the exhaust vent. There has to be enough of a separation between the flue vent and the intake vent so that the exhaust gases won’t enter through the intake vent. These systems are challenging to install in condos and town homes where there isn’t a suitable exterior wall.
• You want cleaner air in the winter. These furnaces use fresh air for combustion, which improves indoor air quality.

A condensing furnace definitely has its advantages. For more professional advice, contact Powers Heating & Air, providing HVAC services for Peachtree City homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 770-487-2040.