How Much Money Can I Save by Replacing My Furnace?
“How much money can I save if I replace my furnace?” is question people ask me most often.To figure that out, you need to know your annual fuel cost, the type of heating technology you are currently using and the type you plan to use.
AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) ratings for common systems are shown below.
Annual savings = A -B x C
A= Seasonal efficiency of proposed system
B= Seasonal Efficiency of current system
C= annual fuel cost for heating
Example: You have a conventional gas furnace and are converting to a high efficiency gas furnace. The conventional furnace has an AFUE ( annual fuel utilization efficiency) of 60% . The high efficiency furnace has an AFUE of 96%. The annual heating cost id $1200.
Savings = 96 – 60 x 1200 =$450.00
Your annual savings would be $450.00 plus you eliminate the need for a chimney.
Typical Heating System Efficiencies and Energy Savings
| Energy Source | Technology | Seasonal Efficiency (AFUE) % |
Energy Savings (% of Base’) | |
| Natural Gas | • Conventional furnace boiler | 60 | Base | |
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• Standard-efficiency furnace | 78-84 | 23-28 | |
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• Standard-efficiency boiler | 80-88 | 25-32 | |
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• Condensing furnace | 90-97 | 33-38 | |
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• Condensing boiler | 89-99 | 33-39 | |
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• Integrated space/ |
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33-38 space | |
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tap water condensing | 90-96 | 44-48 water | |
| Propane | • Conventional furnace/boiler< | 62 | Base | |
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• Standard-efficiency furnace | 79-85 | 21-27 | |
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• Standard-efficiency boiler | 82-90 | 24-31 | |
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• Condensing furnace | 88-95 | 29-34 | |
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• Condensing boiler | 87-97 | 29-36 | |
| Oil | • Cast-iron head burner(old furnace) | 60 | Base | |
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• Flame-retention headreplacement burner | 70-78 | 14-23 | |
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• High-staticreplacement burner | 74-82 | 19-27 | |
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• New standard model | 78-86 | 23-30 | |
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• Standard-efficiency | 83-89 | 28-33 | |
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• Integrated space/tap water |
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28-33 space | |
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standard-efficiency | 83-89 | 40-44 water | |
| Electricity | • Electric baseboards | 100 | N/A | |
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• Electric furnace or boiler | 100 |
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• Air-source heat pump | 1.7 COP’ |
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• Earth-energy system |
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(ground-source heat pump) | 2.6 COP’ |
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| Wood | • Central furnace | 45-55 | N/A | |
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• Conventional stove(properly located) | 55-70 |
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• “High-tech” stove’ (properly located) | 70-80 |
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• Advanced combustion | fireplace’ | 50-70 |
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• Pellet stove | 55-80 |
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How Electricity is Produced
Electrical energy was one of man’s greatest discoveries.
It has helped build new civilizations. The large amount of electricity produced has its source in fossil fuels, nuclear fission, water, and wind. This article will explore the different methods of electricity production.
Electricity is churned out by enormous turbines. These turbines need a support to be moved.
There are various ways of moving these turbines:
Read the rest of this article…
Solar Generators
The sun is the most abundant and the cheapest source of energy, yet we do not exploit its potential.
In these times of depleting resources and increasing prices, the solar energy proves to be the most beneficial and the most economical power solution.
What are the uses of solar energy?
Solar energy has multiple uses, especially in the current times of energy crisis. Solar energy finds its use in the following areas:
- Cooking: The solar energy can be used in cooking with the help of a cooking utensil called the solar cooker. This cooker uses just one fuel – the sun’s light. A typical solar cooker can cook food for five people. A solar cooker does not limit itself to boiling food; it can bake and roast as well. You just need to have a little patience while cooking with a solar cooker.
- Generating electricity: With solar energy, you can run all your electrical appliances. The solar generators store electricity in cells that you can use at night.
- Heating systems: With solar energy heating systems, you can keep your house warm without worrying about electricity bills.
What is a solar generator?
A solar generator is a device that converts solar energy into electrical energy. The sun’s light energy is converted into electrical energy by solar cells also known photovoltaic cells. The return on investment of a solar generator is very fast, thus making electricity available at very low costs. The solar generator also does away with our dependence on the government for electricity. In the current times of fast-depleting fuel resources, it is only wise that we look towards implementing alternate energy solutions.
A solar generator also helps store power in cells for later use. Thus, you can illuminate your house even when the sky is cloudy. The solar generator definitely proves to be a silver lining.
What are the advantages of using a solar generator?
- Pollution-free: Using a solar generator paves way to a greener environment. It does not pollute the environment in any way. Moreover, it does not make use of any of the scarce fuels.
- Cost-effective: The solar generator makes use of a free energy, thus helping save money. In the long run, the electricity produced by the solar generator turns out to be available for free.
- Power storage: The solar generator helps store power for the rainy days, literally. It thus ensures that you have uninterrupted power supply to your home around the clock, everyday.
- Low-maintenance: The solar generator is very easy to maintain, helping you save time, effort, and money.
Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill. Get the complete guide at www.earth4energy.com
Homemade Solar Panels
The present economic scenario and the ever-shrinking state of the global oil reserves is not good news for everyone.
On a positive note, however, the situation makes us look for alternative energy sources to cut down present and the future energy consumption, particularly in terms of fossil fuel usage like oil.
For example, it has become much cheaper to build home made solar energy systems. Building the home made solar panels that utilize deep cell storage batteries produce electricity on demand and reduce the their individual dependence on the country’s energy grid. Read the rest of this article…
The Future of Electricity
When the future of electricity is discussed, quite a number of thoughts come into mind.
Let’s look at a few such ideas.
Electricity will be wireless!
Wouldn’t it be delightful to see no wires in the house even with an uninterrupted supply of electricity? Will the future see wireless supply of electricity? Apparently, it will, according to industry experts. Last year, a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a wireless electricity experiment successfully. This dream has never been far-fetched, and with the success of wireless electricity experiments, this dream will soon come true. So, it is not very far that we will see electrical appliances charging themselves off air!