How to use Furnace Ratings When Buying a Furnace
How do you use Furnace Ratings when buying a furnace? Normally, when a homeowner is in the market for a furnace, a major purchase, the sensible thing to do is check furnace ratings. But homeowners must understand how ratings work before they can consider them. Efficiency ratings help consumers determine which furnace will be cheaper to run.
Furnace Ratings
Basically, there are three (3) types of ratings that homeowners should be considered when in the market for a large purchase: - Efficiency Ratings
- Quality Ratings
- Consumer or Customer Satisfaction Ratings.
However, quality ratings are not available for furnaces. Not even Consumer Reports performs quality ratings for furnaces, so the bulk of your decision must be based on efficiency ratings and customer satisfaction ratings. Combined, the two ratings can help you make the right purchasing decision for your home and family’s heating needs.
Furnace Efficiency Ratings—What Are They?
There are three (3) types of Furnace Efficiency Ratings:
- Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE): the percentage of energy that is converted to warm air in your home.
- Energy Guide (easily recognizable black and yellow label): developed by the Federal Trade Commission, Energy Guide helps you to determine how energy efficient an appliance is and how the appliance will affect your utility bill.
- Energy Star: designation that goes to the most energy efficient appliances in each class. Appliances with the Energy Start logo must meet or exceed federal energy-use standards.
Want to check the efficiency rating for a specific furnace?
Check out the Energy Star Web site. Or check your local utility company to see if they have a list of furnace ratings.
Furnace Customer Satisfaction Ratings—What Are They?
Want to check the how others feel about a furnace you are considering? You can find customer satisfaction ratings of specific furnaces on our site.
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