When it’s time to replace your furnace with a newer model, why not make an upgrade? A condensing furnace is a great way to boost your heating efficiency and save a lot on energy costs for the next 10–15 years. If you’ve never heard of a condensing furnace you can keep reading to learn more about these unique systems.
Then give our team a call to schedule furnace replacement in Woodbridge, NJ. We can talk to you about how a condensing furnace would work in your home and review the benefits of this particular type of heater. Even though condensing furnaces can be more expensive to install, they are still a better option compared to a standard furnace.
What Is a Condensing Furnace?
A condensing furnace works more efficiently than a standard furnace because it has an additional heat exchanger. This extra heat exchanger works to extract heat from the exhaust air as a way of moving additional heat into your home and reducing waste. Then instead of hot exhaust air leaving your home, cool exhaust air leaves your home and the heat stays inside. This increases the amount of heat available to keep your home comfortable.
Energy Efficiency of a Condensing Furnace
Condensing furnaces have AFUE ratings of up to 98%, meaning that they are 98% efficient at using energy to provide heat for your home. For reference, a heater is considered high efficiency with an AFUE rating of 90% or higher. With a 98% efficiency rating, only 2% of the energy used to heat your home gets lost.
This means your condensing furnace has to use less energy overall to provide heat for your home, ultimately lowering your monthly energy costs. When you consider that the minimum AFUE rating is 80 for any heater, you’re getting nearly 20% more heat for the same amount of energy from a condensing furnace compared to the less efficient model.
Variable Speed
Another thing that sets a condensing furnace apart from other furnaces is the variable speed motor. Condensing furnaces have sensors that allow them to speed up or slow down motor operation based on heating needs. Most furnaces work on a higher setting constantly.
The benefit of a variable speed motor is that you can save on energy costs when the top motor speed is not necessary. For example, on days with mild weather, your condensing furnace does not have to work as hard to provide heat for your home.
Multi-Stage Burners
Condensing furnaces also have multi-stage burners. These work very similarly to how the variable speed motor works. The burners have multiple stages that allow them to heat up more or less. With a standard furnace, the burners are always on at their strongest, without the ability to turn down if there is less demand for heat.
A condensing furnace can turn burners on a lower setting when as much heat is not necessary. But on the coldest days of winter, your condensing furnace is ready to work at its best to provide heat from your home and keep the indoor temperature comfortable.
Contact Scaran today to schedule an appointment with our professionals for furnace installation and service.
