When it comes to heating your home, everyone enjoys tearing open their monthly energy bill to realize that it’s not as much as they expected. After all, who doesn’t like saving money? As a homeowner, knowing can be the biggest part of the struggle, and in this case, understanding the most common HVAC energy efficiency ratings can help you save money when it comes time to swap out your current system.
Of course, there are a large range of efficiencies for each heating and cooling product line, but because you’re an educated homeowner, you can understand what you can pay for and what you’d like to use for your home. To help you with your learning, here are the most commonly used HVAC energy efficiency ratings and a broken down version of what they mean:
Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF)*
HSPF is the rating utilized to measure the energy efficiency of the heating part of your heat pump over one heating season. A larger HSPF rating means that the system is running at a more efficient level than a lower rating. In the U.S., new systems have ratings ranging from the federal minimum of 7.7 to 9.4 for the systems with top efficiency.
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER)*
This could be the most well-known of the energy efficiency ratings, as it measures the efficiency of your system over the cooling season. As with most ratings, the greater the SEER rating, the greater the efficiency. Currently, the federal minimum for new systems is 13 SEER, and as technology continues to evolve, the top rating continues to go higher, providing you with systems that can cool more efficiently and are better for the environment. You can also expect to see lower energy costs with a higher SEER rating.
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE)**
For heating systems that utilize gas or oil, AFUE is the rating that you should be searching for. It references the amount of heat that your system gives you for every dollar you spend on fuel. So if you have a system that has a high AFUE rating, it is wasting less fuel throughout its conversion process, which means savings for you year after year. There haven’t been any systems created that perform without wasting any fuel, but the Lennox SLP98V operates with a 98.7% AFUE rating.
ENERGY STAR® Certification
While it’s not a rating, ENERGY STAR® certification is another indicator that you’re getting an energy efficient system. In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established ENERGY STAR so that businesses and homeowners could save money and protect the environment by using energy efficient products. ENERGY STAR certification has its own number of requirements that products must meet through third-party testing in a lab setting. These requirements are decided by region, so you know your system is perfect for the conditions in Niagara Falls. Be on the lookout for a blue label with the ENERGY STAR logo on its packaging to know for sure.
Of course there are more ratings we could cover, but these are a few of the most common HVAC energy efficiency ratings that we receive questions about at Niagara Home Services by Enercare. If you have any questions about the right system or efficiency level for your home, feel free to give us a call at 289-273-2229 or schedule an appointment online with one of our pros.
*https://www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/specs//private/Central_ASHP_and_CAC_Program_Requirements%20v4_1.pdf
** https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_definitions&dts=ef,te