Energy Tax Credit for Efficient Furnaces

[John R]

There is a federal tax credit ($150) for installing new high efficiency furnaces between Jan 2006 and Dec 2007. The catch is that the furnace needs to be 95% AFUE. That seems a tad high (Energy Star qualification is 90%) and removes a lot of condensing furnaces from the credit, including all of American-Standard/Trane condensing gas furnaces.

List of eligible furnaces:

It's a short list since a lot of the condensing furnaces are 92 to 94.5 AFUE. Perhaps the companies will increase their AFUE rating by enough to get them to 95 for next year's models?

There is also a tax credit for "electrically efficient furnaces" This credit is $50 and is for furnaces whose fan uses no more than 2% of the total energy use per year, regardless of AFUE.

A list of eligible electrically efficient furnaces is here:

[Elliott Plack]

Thanks John! I'm going to replacing my furnace anyway, so I'm glad you mentioned this.

[Frank Boettcher]

Good luck! I just went through this. I replaced a packaged heat pump complete. The most efficient unit available in the category (16 SEER,

8.2 HSPH) does not qualify for the credit. After half dozen emails corresponding with the Department of Energy, whereby they kept insisting there were units available, they finally admitted I was right and there were not units that met their self imposed standard.

But if it wasn't a heat pump, only an air conditioning unit, 14 SEER would qualify. Go figure.

Frank

[Kathy]

installing new high efficiency

catch is that the furnace

(Energy Star qualification

from the credit,

condensing gas furnaces.

It's a short list

94.5 AFUE. Perhaps the

enough to get them to 95

efficient furnaces" This

no more than 2% of the

furnaces is here:

a packaged heat pump

the category (16 SEER,

half dozen emails

whereby they kept

finally admitted I was

self imposed standard.

conditioning unit, 14 SEER

As long as the EER is 12 or better.

[m Ransley]

It is truely a dumb new standard inacted by idiot burocretons. The best names in the furnace business cant qualify by a half a percentage point. Carrier has one 38000 btu unit that can, Lennox none @ 94, Armstrong @

94.5. Trane none, etc etc etc. If they only made the standard 93%, you would cover every most company.

[Bob Pietrangelo]

Trane/AS is coming out with a 3 stage furnace in a month or 2, I believe that one will qualify