Given two furnaces of equal heat output rating usually measured in british thermal units the efficiency tells you how much heat goes into your house and how much goes up the furnace s chimney.
High efficiency gas furnace vs regular gas furnace.
So a 95 furnace is more efficient than an 80 furnace.
Gas furnace come down to where you live.
A standard efficiency furnace provides 80 annual fuel utilization efficiency afue.
High efficiency furnaces offer 90 or more afue.
Both will use both gas and electric power sources.
If you live in an area where electricity costs less than gas then a heat pump is also the better option.
The primary difference is the manner in which they are vented.
If you live in the south where winter temperatures may only reach 40 to 60 degrees then a heat pump is the best fit for your home.
Most of the reasons you would choose a heat pump vs.
Since the heat lost through the flue of a high efficiency condensing furnace is a lot less than the heat lost through the flue on a standard efficiency furnace the steam is much cooler on the high efficiency condensing furnaces.
To achieve the term high efficiency within the industry a furnace must be 90 efficient within it s gas usage.
But that s a limited view of what efficiencies can be gained and what benefits can be provided.
Why choose a heat pump over a gas furnace.
These days 95 afue is a common rating among new gas powered furnaces.
In this type of furnace 20 of the energy produced by natural gas is expelled as exhaust.