The amount of confusion about different types of furnaces, heat pumps and their different kinds along with the kinds of heating fuels; gas, propane, oil, wood pellet, biofuel, geothermal and even solar in some parts of the country provided you have battery storage capacity makes this probably the most misunderstood part of any home. It is also the industry with the most short forms and use of capital letters for terminology. Its no wonder the public is confused.
This week we are going to look at gas and propane furnaces and list some common short forms with an explanation. Natural gas and propane furnaces are identical other than a change in the gas valve. 99% of natural gas furnaces can be converted to propane, either at the factory when it's ordered or by the service technician on site. While the furnaces cost the same the cost of fuel is not. Propane on average is double the cost of natural gas. In Ontario today a natural gas heated home is by far the cheapest, followed by electric, propane and oil.
Furnaces are rated by their "Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency" or AFUE. AFUE is a rating that reflects how efficiently a gas furnace converts fuel to energy. A furnace with a 96% AFUE rating means that approximately 96% of the fuel is converted to heat and only 4% escapes up the chimney. In Ontario you cannot buy a gas/propane furnace with a rating under 90%. There are numerous models on the market today, including two stage, three stage and modulating fired furnaces. The different stages control the level of heat the furnace will produce at different demands. A three stage may operate at 30%, 65% then 100% demand as it establishes the level of heat the system is calling for. A modulating unit increases as needed with no set firing stage. It is no secret that everything has a price and these new furnaces are no exception. A high end unit from a reputable TSSA certified installer will range anywhere from 3000.00-4500.00 depending upon the model, plus installation. The other feature that everyone should consider is a brushless DC motor, this will drop your electrical costs by more than half.
Now let's look at the "maze" of terms used in the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning industry or HVAC as it's commonly known as. There are also a number of "trade terms" that mean the same thing, not unlike the electrical or plumbing trades. One example is the "All-In-One System" or "Packaged System". These two descriptions are for a system that supplies both heat and air conditioning. While common in the commercial heating, recently they have become readily available to the consumer. Another package system that suits our climate is the "Integrated Mechanical System" or "IMS" The IMS systems are reasonably new, CSA only developed a standard for them in 2007. These units combine hot water, heating and ventilation with heat recovery. The benefit here is in the reduced cost of three appliances, an HRV, a hot water tank and a furnace along with the reduced footprint in your basement. I slipped the term HRV in here, that's the short form for Heat Recovery Ventilation System. This is a method of introducing fresh air and removing stale air from a home by preheating the incoming air with the exhausted air. An HRV is often confused with an "Air Handler", they are not the same. An air handler is a cabinet that contains a direct drive fan in which they install coils for a hot water system or use it as an air handler for an air conditioning system. This is tied into a metal ducted distribution system throughout the home. While I mention air conditioning, there is short form here too. Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio or SEER is how the HVAC industry rates air conditioners and heat pumps. How did heat pump get in this sentence?... well a heat pump is really only an air conditioner that can reverse itself and recover heat from the air. They are efficient to the point of freezing, then your furnace must kick in. The minimum standard today is 14 SEER and there are units that rank in the high teens and low 20" s for SEER.
One last name that seems to be on everything today is the "Energy Star" label. It was developed in the USA as a standard to reduce overall energy consumption. Energy Star qualified heating systems can be up to 15% more efficient than standard system and cooling equipment is at least 7% more efficient. If you are looking at anything that uses energy of any kind, check to see that its Energy Star rated.
By Cam Allen
Article Source: The Kingston Whig Standard
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