Heating your home during the colder months can be a little expensive, but there are ways to lower your heating bills. Other than ensuring enough insulation in your home, another way is to ensure your heater is energy efficient. The higher the efficiency of your heater, the less it costs to run it to warm your Baton Rouge home. Other ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency are to make sure you have insulated doors and windows that close correctly, switch to energy-efficient lighting, and ensure that your home has proper ventilation. Below are three ways you can tell if your heater is energy-efficient.
What Is the AFUE Rating?
AFUE stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency, which measures how efficient your heater is when it converts fuel into energy. The higher the AFUE number, the more efficient heater you have. If your heater has an AFUE rating of 98%, it means that 98% of the energy it creates heats your home and only loses 2% of the energy. You can find the AFUE rating in your user’s manual or an information sticker in the furnace cabinet. If you don’t have a user’s manual and can’t find the rating on the furnace cabinet, search for your make and model heater on the internet.
How Old Is Your Heater?
While your AFUE rating is a good place to start in determining how efficient your heater is, the age of your heater is another factor. The average life expectancy of your heater is between 15 to 20 years with proper care and maintenance, but that drops to about half without maintenance, and the AFUE rating drops 5% each year when it doesn’t receive maintenance.
Changes in Your Energy Bill
While it’s normal for your energy bills to fluctuate, especially with increasing energy costs and fluctuations in daily or seasonal temperatures, a higher than usual bill is trying to tell you something. If you notice that your energy bill is higher than the same time last year without an increase in rates or usage, that’s a sign that your heater isn’t as efficient.
Air Creation Heating & Cooling LLC is a certified HVAC contractor serving Baton Rouge & New Orleans. If you’re struggling with heating issues in your home, our experienced technicians can look at your unit and assess its efficiency. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for maintenance or repair to improve your heater’s efficiency.
