You’ve probably seen AFUE ratings on the yellow stickers of your heating equipment, but do you understand what those numbers actually mean?

The AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating measures the efficiency of your heating equipment under controlled conditions over the course of a typical season’s use (think of AFUE like the MPG rating of your car – the higher the number, the more efficient your equipment is). The AFUE rating is a percentage – a boiler with an AFUE rating of 80, for example, converts 80 percent of the fuel it receives to supply heat to your home – the other 20 percent is lost along the way.

In 2015, the US government raised the minimum AFUE rating on gas- and oil-fired boilers to minimums of 82 and 84 percent, respectively. Furnaces must be 80 percent efficient or higher.

A good way to think about AFUE is to consider it in financial terms: For every dollar you spend on fuel for an 80 AFUE boiler, for example, 80 cents go toward heating your home’s air. This is important to keep in mind because you will typically pay more for a unit with a higher AFUE rating – but it’s an investment that often pays for itself in the long run.

Of course, AFUE doesn’t tell the whole heating efficiency story – proper installation and maintenance are also extremely important pieces of the efficiency equation, as are several other factors. But knowing the AFUE rating of your heating equipment is definitely important information when it comes time to invest in new high efficiency heating equipment for your New Jersey home.

Looking for an high efficiency replacement for your furnace, boiler, or water heater? We can help! Contact us today for a FREE estimate on a unit that’s just right for your NJ home.