High-Efficiency vs Low-Efficiency Furnaces

Upgrade to a High-Efficiency Furnace and Save on Energy Cost

In a majority of homes in the Minneapolis St. Paul metro area, the furnace in the basement is over 10 years old, and probably has an AFUE efficiency of just 80% or even less. In many homes, gravity or octopus furnaces which are even older, may have efficiency ratings of only 50%. Today, new home heating technology makes low-efficiency heating a thing of the past, turning as much as 96% or more of the fuel burned in them into effective heat for your home. As a Minnesota full-service heating contractor, we’re installing more and more energy-efficient Carrier furnaces each year to replace those old energy-wasting units.

Such an upgrade in energy efficiency makes sense in many ways. From the first day you use it, a modern forced-air natural gas furnace will begin saving money on every energy bill. Those savings will continue as long as you own your system. In addition, factory and utilities companies’ rebates can reduce the cost of the upgrade or replacement. As your trusted residential heating contractor in Minneapolis St. Paul, we believe that understanding how gas furnaces work is important for our customers, so here are some of the main differences between the older low-efficiency and high-efficiency models:

• Venting Systems – Burning natural gas generates carbon dioxide and water vapor. Older models have to exhaust those byproducts of combustion at a high enough temperature to carry that water vapor to the roof through the vent system. That means that 20% or more of the heat generated escapes through the vent. Newer high-efficiency furnaces use two heat exchangers, instead of just one, letting them extract up to 96% or more of the generated heat, using that extra heat to make your home more comfortable while burning less fuel. In fact, the exhaust from these furnaces is so cool that it can be removed from your home through a small PVC pipe that exits through a wall, rather than the roof. A fan forces the exhaust out the vent.
• Water Drain Systems – Due to the cool temperatures of the exhaust gases from a high-efficiency furnace, most of the water vapor generated when fuel is burned condenses into liquid water in a secondary heat exchanger. Any remaining water vapor escapes harmlessly into the atmosphere. That’s why these highly energy-efficient models are also called “condensing furnaces.” That condensed water has to go somewhere, so it is carried through a drain line to your home’s sanitary drain system. As everyone knows, water contributes to rusting, so the secondary heat exchanger is made of stainless steel, which won’t rust.

Energy-Saving Differences Mean Big Cost Savings

The additional components inside a condensing furnace add additional costs to manufacturing, and those are passed along to the consumer through higher prices compared to less efficient models. To help homeowners make the decision to buy energy-efficient furnaces, local energy companies offer cash rebates to cover some of the price increase. But it is lower energy bills that make investing in a more efficient model a great idea. Over the years, you can save up to thousands of dollars in energy savings alone. When we show customers how much they will save over time, most customers now choose models with an AFUE rating of more than 90% over a standard 80% AFUE model.

High-Efficiency Furnace Sales and Installation – Minneapolis St. Paul, MN

When condensing furnaces came onto the market, and even before they started gaining popularity among Twin Cities homeowners, our most trusted Minnesota heating company knew they would be the choices of the future. Today, we’re supplying and installing these newer models throughout the Twin Cities metro area for more and more of our customers, some of whom have been our customers for more than 20 years. Our extensive service area covers the entire 7-county metro, from Lino Lakes, Blaine, Brooklyn Center and Coon Rapids to Bloomington, Richfield, Eagan and Lakeville, and from Woodbury, Oakdale, Cottage Grove and Roseville to Hopkins, St. Louis Park, Plymouth and Minnetonka.

If you need to save on the initial cost, we sell and install 80% rated furnaces at highly affordable prices. As a leading residential heating contractor, we will be happy to discuss replacing your old, inefficient furnace with a money-saving, fuel-efficient model. In a free, no-obligation consultation in your home, we can show you all the benefits to you and your family of such an upgrade.