with high-efficiency heating, cooling

As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. It will amount to a large chunk of your budget this season as energy prices continue to soar. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, residents in the United States will pay a projected average 16 percent more for natural gas than they did last year.  

A home surrounded by a larger area can have its ground loop installed horizontally. A home surrounded by a larger area can have its ground loop installed horizontally. Courtesy WaterFurnace International

We’ve all seen the statistics on how much money can be saved by installing high-efficiency heating, ventilating and air-conditions systems. Simply put, the term ‘energy efficient’ refers to the improvements manufacturers of HVAC equipment have made to create systems that are more efficient. The most efficient systems were manufactured over the past 20 to 30 years, so if your furnace or air-conditioning unit is more than 20 years old, it is not the most cost- or energy-effective appliance in your home.

Buck Kittredge, owner of Buck’s Heating and Air in Chesterton, Ind., figures he will be changing out more than a few older furnaces this winter because of the high cost of natural gas.

One of the more energy-efficient furnaces operates in two stages, reducing temperature swings in the home. “The gas usage adjusts to the heating load on the home,” Kittredge said. “If it’s 40 degrees outside, for instance, your furnace will only kick on at 50 percent, using the amount of gas necessary to light the number of burners needed. At 0 degrees you need 100 percent of its capabilities.”

Kittredge recommends studying the warranty on a new furnace’s electrical components and heat exchanger. Most cover five years on electrical components, 25 years on the heat exchanger and one year on labor, he said. Every home’s needs are unique and options vary depending on its age and size. 

If there is little ground space, the loop must be installed vertically. Courtesy WaterFurnace International

The climate in the Midwest is perfect for the technology, which provides both heating and cooling, said Ryan Stauffer, marketing project manager for WaterFurnace International, based in Fort Wayne, Ind. “We sell the majority in the Midwest and even in the colder climates. You see most of your savings during the heating function.”

Costs for the system vary depending on whether it is installed in an existing home and if that home already has ductwork in place, and the size of the lot on which the house sits. Whether it provides heating or cooling, the technology happens inside a ground loop, which is a series of underground polyethylene pipes that circulate a water and antifreeze solution to transfer heat to and from the home.

If there is little ground space, the loop must be installed vertically. A home surrounded by a larger area can have its ground loop installed horizontally.

The pump is powered with electricity and circulates the water and anti-freeze solution to run the compressor in the unit. Stauffer said that WaterFurnace systems cycle more often, which leads to better indoor air quality, yet does not dry the air out like a gas furnace. Typical forced-air furnaces generate short bursts of 130-degree air that keeps cycling on and off all the time. WaterFurnace systems generate warm air that comes through vents at around 105 degrees F.

Efficiency ratings
Annual fuel-utilization-efficiency, or AFUE, ratings measure how efficiently a furnace converts gas into heating energy and are given as percents. The higher that percentage, the more heat the furnace can wring from each therm of gas — and the lower the environmental impact of its emissions.

Furnaces have generally become more energy-efficient over the years. A typical gas furnace made in the early 1970s has an AFUE of about 65 percent. Today, the lowest efficiency allowed by law for new gas furnaces is 78 percent, and the most efficient models have an AFUE of about 97 percent — or neartotal efficiency.

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