What Is The Efficiency Of Propane Furnaces?

What You Need To Know About “AFUE”

Are you in the market for a new propane furnace for your home here in our service area of middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky?

If so, everything you’re supposed to think about as you shop online or in the big box home improvement store may be a little overwhelming. But it all comes down to finding the furnace that offers the best energy efficiency, while also making sure to fit your budget.

Energy efficiency is important. The more energy-efficient your furnace is, the less energy you’ll need to keep your home warm and comfortable throughout the season. The less energy you use, the less money you have to spend on energy bills. That’s a good payoff in the long run!

As you’re looking over and comparing furnaces, you’ll notice something called “AFUE”, which stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. This rating is a big deal. It’s the furnace equivalent of the MPG rating for your car. The higher the AFUE rating, the better the furnace’s energy efficiency.

The AFUE rating of your furnace represents the average amount of propane your heating system uses compared with how much heat it produces over a heating season.

Here’s an example: A furnace has an AFUE rating of 80. That translates to an average of 80% of the propane it uses is converted into heat for your home. The other 20% is lost in the combustion and conversion process. Eighty cents of every dollar you spend on propane goes towards heating.

Here’s some really good news: Today’s high-efficiency propane furnaces can reach AFUE ratings in the 90s, sometimes even higher than 95!

Here’s a guide from the United States Department of Energy on common AFUE ratings for furnaces. The current minimum AFUE standard for new heating systems is 80.

Low efficiency: This is mostly seen in much older, outdated heating systems. The AFUE ratings fall between 56 and 70.

Medium efficiency: AFUE ratings are between 80 and 85. These are either new systems, or older systems less than 20 years old.

High efficiency: This is most commonly seen in furnaces that are new or less than 10 years old. AFUE ratings are between 90 and 98.5.

Find out the AFUE rating for your current furnace or boiler by looking on the faceplate. That’s where it usually is.

Once you choose and install your new propane furnace, you’re going to need propane. Count on Advanced Propane for reliable, safe propane delivery. Get in touch with us to learn more and become a customer. And don’t forget to ask about our Keep Filled automatic delivery service!