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Heating FAQ -What is a Modulating or Two-stage furnace? -Do I need to get my furnace cleaned every year? -How often should I change the standard throw-away 1" filter on my furnace? -How can I make sure that my HVAC system is safe for operation? -If I go away for a few days or even longer during the winter, at what temperature should I set my thermostat? -My thermostat is equipped with two position settings for the fan, “automatic” and “on”. Where should I set it? -I have trouble getting even amounts of heat/cooling to certain parts of my house. How can I get more heat/cooling to the upstairs/downstairs of my home? -Does it pay to turn down the thermostat at night or when you leave your home for any length of time during the day? What is an A.F.U.E. (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating and what do they mean to you? The efficiency of a furnace is measured in a rating known as A.F.U.E. (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency). A lot like your car’s miles per gallon rating, A.F.U.E. tells you how efficiently the furnace converts fuel (gas, oil or propane) into heat. An A.F.U.E. of 80% means that 80% of the fuel is used to heat your home, while the other 20% basically goes up the chimney. In 1992, the government mandated a minimum A.F.U.E. rating of 78% for furnaces installed in new homes. (In contrast, many furnaces manufactured before 1992 had A.F.U.E. ratings as low as 60% - so nearly half the fuel was being wasted.) Furnaces with A.F.U.E. ratings of 78% to 80% are considered “mid-efficiency”, while those with ratings of 90% or higher are termed “high efficiency”. In general, a higher efficiency furnace usually means two things. * lower monthly operating costs * higher comfort levels If you have an older furnace (10 – 15 years old with an estimated A.F.U.E. of around 60%), you could save up to 40% on your heating bills by replacing it with a new high-efficiency furnace. So the cost to replace your older, inefficient furnace is paid back through lower utility bills. Back to the top . What is a Modulating or Two-stage furnace? Modulating Furnace: Most furnaces are either “off”, providing no heat, or “on” at full capacity, with the burner and blower operating at 100%. This causes the temperature in your house to go up and down by several degrees – affecting both your comfort and your energy bills. Furnaces are designed to keep your home warm on the coldest of days. But in most cases, those days account for only 2-1/2 percent of the heating season. The rest of the time, you furnace is providing more heat than is needed to satisfy your comfort requirements. Modulating furnaces solve this problem by “modulating” between different capacities (40-100%), depending upon the comfort requirements of the homeowner and the temperature outside. This results in lower operating costs, quieter operation and much more even temperatures throughout the home.

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