Efficiency & Savings For A New Forced Gas Hot Air System ?

[Brian]

How much are you paying now?

BTU of your current system?

[Matt]

The answer will depend alot on whether or not it is turned on after it is installed. Also, I have found the the best way to really save on energy costs is to buck the system, and use your cooling in the winter and heating in the summer.

So far this year, I have only had to turn on my cooling system 4 times, when the temp got above 40.

[SQLit]

To many variables to answer

try this site and see if it helps you decide http://198.147.238.24/ac_calc/default.asp

[Robert11]

Hello:

Realize that this is a question that is probably impossible to answer with any real accuracy, but was wondering if anyone would care to offer any estimate, or guestimate, on it:

For a 25 year old typical three bedroom split level (in the Northeast) using the original forced gas hot air system for heat, what % "might" be saved in going to a brand new ("top-of-the-line") furnace in ones heating bill ?

Thanks, Bob

[m Ransley]

Is it one of those 50%-60 % efficient monsters with the round burner chamber. Is it oversized heating you a bit to fast and uneven, Has it been maintained and has a good blue flame or is it yellow. Does it have an AC coil in the heatpath that could be clogged. You need to know what you have now, is it running at 30% or 70% efficiency. You can go to

94.5% and get VS DC motor that will cut electrical usage by 50-60%

[xrongor]

assuming its got decent insulation and all, i would expect enough to pay for itself over its lifespan and then some.

hey, you wanted a guess...

randy

[Martik]

Your old furnace is approx 60%, the best new condensing furnaces are 92% or more Check here for savings and make sure your insulation and windows are efficient.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle

If you have a 25 year old furnaces running today and being in the North east. I would say you are wasting a good amount of fuel gas to heat your home. If you live in the South where i live I would not say this at all. Now here is what I think here.

first if you could give the brand and model number of your old furnace I / we could get a better ideal as to what saving you may get. By not knowing I have to assume you have a good gas furnace from that era.

Second On the furnaces from 25 years ago the fuel effenciy was stated at maybe

70% to 80% AFUE. Back then these figurers was just a good estimate and was high at best to telling the fuel effencicy of your furnace. The AFUE rating has change to reflex a better or true fuel use with the new AFUE rating system. If you would take the old 70% and 80% AFUE rated furnaces back then and rerate then now days with the new rating of the furnaces. Most of these old gas furnaces would fall in the 50% to the 65% AFUE rating.

thirdly : Let's say you get the tops that one would expect from the old furnaces and say it was get a 65% AFUE rating. They have now some good 94% AFUE rated furnaces and if you would switch your 65% AFUE rated furnace in on a 94% AFUE furnace. You would by the Goverments estimates you would burn 29% less natural gas than you burn now. so Subtract items in your home that burns natural gas like hot water tank, Stove, and gas cloths driers from your gas bill and then take 29% on the bill to see the saving. If you was having a $500.00 gas bill and then take $100.00 off for hot water and stove useage. You would look at about 29% less gas on the $400.00 gas bill and would be a savings of somewhere near $116.00 a month savings. $116.00 a month chunk knocked off your gas bill every month is not chump change savings. Now if you was getting a $1,000.00 a month gas bill that would change to a $261.00 a month savings.

Living in the Northern state cost a whole lot more for heating cost than living in the Southern states for I live in South Louisiana and my heat natural gas bill runs about $60.00 to $100.00 a month during the 3 cold months that we use heat. We only turn on or run the furnaces about 3 months out of the year and if your furnace goes out. They just turn on the stove and use the furnace fan to circulate the heat and do just fine till the service man can get to you.

So if you live in the South --- Your present furnace is fine and leave it alone. If you live in the North --- Your present furnace is eating you alive.

TURTLE

[Stormin Mormon]

An old furnace can get as low as 50 or 60% efficient, plus having a heavier fan to blow the air, so more electric. The new furnaces can be over 90% efficient, and lighter fans.

Can't give you any specifics, but my boss and I put in one, the power company bumped up his estimated ammount cause it was a cold year. He called adn told them he had a new furnace, but they left the estimate. He had a zero gas bill one month cause they estimated too far in advance.

[Brian]

The issue is if he is paying $60/month during 3 winter month,

$20 saving will not pay for new furnace....

If his bill is $400/month let's say $100/month saving well worth it.