The cost to heat and cool your home totals more than half of your utility bills. That’s why it’s imperative to find a system that provides superior comfort in your Alliance home while still ensuring energy efficient. Better energy efficiency means your system is doing more while using less energy. Whether you are thinking about a replacement air conditioner or furnace or looking to upgrade your present equipment to be more energy efficient, there are some ratings to know that will help you during the search. So what exactly do those energy efficiency ratings mean?
SEER (used to measure cooling efficiency)
SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. The SEER rating takes into consideration the efficiency of your unit at different temperatures, or rather, seasonally in Alliance. A greater SEER rating indicates a larger energy efficiency, which will turn into smaller utility bills. The Department of Energy expects a minimum 13 SEER-rating for colder states in the north and a 14 SEER-rating minimum for warmer, southern states. If your home has an older unit with a lower SEER-rating, you could see radical energy savings after an upgrade.
AFUE or HSPF (used to measure heating efficiency: gas or electric)
AFUE stands for Annualized Fuel Utilization Efficiency ratio and it finds the percentage of heat generated for every dollar of fuel consumed. You can think of it as the MPG on your car. The larger the AFUE-rating, the lower your energy costs. If your furnace has a AFUE rating of 80, that signifies that 80% of the heat produced is exhausted to heat the home, while 20% of the heat is wasted through venting.
HSPF stands for the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor and works to determine the heating effectiveness of heat pumps. It is the SEER rating for winter as it only measures your unit’s heating productivity. Again, the higher the number, the greater energy efficient the heat pump.
Jack's Heating, Cooling, Stoves & Fireplaces in Alliance presents equipment with the highest energy efficiency ratings. If you are hesitant what the energy ratings are of the system in your home we would be more than willing to help you better understand to keep your home comfy, while saving money. Give us a call at 308-321-4703 to schedule an appointment with us.