Monday, August 27, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Should You Replace Your Furnace Today?
Northerners…
80%
Efficient Furnace phase out
In
2007, the U.S. Congress passed the Energy Security and Independence Act (the
“2007 Energy Bill”). This bill set a new precedent by allowing the Department
of Energy (DOE) to develop regional standards for the installation location of
heating and cooling equipment. In northern states, high-efficiency furnaces are
required after May 1, 2013.
Will this affect you?
Those who will be impacted
the most by the new regional standards are people that live in the North Region
and have a non-condensing gas furnace. The upcoming regional standards will
require that all gas furnaces installed in the North Region have at least 90%
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating, compared to the current 78%
AFUE, effectively excluding the use of non-condensing furnaces and requiring the
installation of condensing furnaces.
While this will result in
more efficient furnaces and lower monthly gas bills, the side effect is that
90% and higher furnaces require PVC vent piping through the side of your home
or through the roof of your home. This can be a challenge for dwellings with
drywall finished ceilings, and furnaces not located near an exterior wall or
roof access to install the PVC vent piping. There will be additional costs to
open drywall and/or cover the PVC vent piping that will need to be installed
through the interior of your home.
Carbon Valley Heating and
Air is strongly recommending to our customers who have 10+ year old furnaces to
seriously consider their options for furnace replacement in the near future. If
the installation of PVC vent piping is going to be a challenge in your home,
you can schedule a free consultation to discuss the 80% furnaces and go over
your options. Pricing has never been lower on 80% furnaces and they are
available in standard single stage models as well as two stage. There are some
that offer the variable speed motors which offer efficient operation and are
very quiet compared to older models. Remember, the 80% furnaces are being phased out, so your time is limited.
The phase out begins May of 2013.
You can call us at
303-833-4466 and we will schedule a time for a certified technician to analyze
your current system.
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