Old furnaces waste a lot of energy
by Ben Wanner of Pro Service Mechanical
Think your old furnace is working just fine, well think again. It may be operating properly but it is likely wasting a pile of energy and therefore money
Your Typical Conventional Furnace
A conventional furnace (assuming it`s running on natural gas or propane) is approximately 60% efficient over a heating season. Its actual efficiency for turning fuel into heat while it`s running is about 80%, but there are other factors that account for more losses of about 20%. Here is a list of the causes of inefficiency with your conventional furnace
- burner and heat ex-changer efficiency of 80%
- using house air we paid to heat for combustion of the fuel
- house air going up the chimney due to stack effect
- standing pilot light
- inefficient blower motor (electricity)
That`s right! a conventional furnace heats up air in your home and then uses that same air to burn the fuel. This also brings in cold air from outside. The pilot light is also burning fuel all the time regardless if the furnace is running or not and in many homes all year. Our course the inefficient fan motor is using a lot of extra electricity.
Is it Time to Replace?
The longer you wait to replace the more time you go wasting energy and therefore the more money you loose. Another very important thing to consider is that most conventional furnaces are at least 20 plus years old. This means that there is a high likely hood that the heat ex-changer will fail. If this happens it can be a serious safety issue to the occupants of the home so it is always best to replace your furnace before this happens.
So What is the Difference Between the Old Furnace and the New one?
Your new high efficiency furnace will take anywhere from 90 to 98% of the energy and turn it into heat in your home. The best part? There are really no other significant losses. Its efficiency when it is running and its efficiency over a heating season are basically the same. Think of saving most of that wasted energy. Over several years the savings can really add up. Try the Lennox Cost Savings Calculator to find out how much.
Let us not forget about the electricity we can save with a brush less DC fan motor. It will keep us more comfortable as well.
If you have any questions or would like to book a free in home quote call us today at 306-230-2442 or email us at proservice@sasktel.net
