Valley Services Blog – The Heating Guys

How much money can you save this winter?

A good place to start is with your furnace AFUE (efficiency).  AFUE stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency.  It is a percentage that tells you how much gas is actually used to heat your home.  For example if your furnace is 80% AFUE, 80% of the gas is used to heat your home, the other 20% of gas (that you pay for) goes up your chimney.  You must also take into account how old your furnace is.  If your furnace is 80% but also over 10 years old, your furnace efficiency could be 70% or lower!

Furnace efficiency now can range up to 98%!  They also come with variable speed blower motors which can use 1/10th of the electricity that your blower motor uses now.  These high efficient furnaces also have two-stage gas valves.  These two-stage gas valves can use a low stage and a high stage of gas output depending on the temperature change needed.  With all these features, purchasing a high-efficient furnace is a must!

Money Saving Tips this winter

Stay Warm this winter

Follow general furnace maintenance guidelines to increase longevity of furnace, get you furnace cleaned yearly and change filters regularly.

• Make sure your attic is properly insulated (R-38 to R-44)
• Provide adequate ventilation for air circulation in your attic
• Weatherstrip and/or caulk around windows and doors
• Prevent fires and smoke damage- have your fireplace and chimney cleaned and inspected
• Install a Programmable Thermostat – save up to 30% by programming as directed to save money!
  
• Change your humidifier pad
  

Furnace Efficiency Tips

• Check filters monthly and change as needed
• Clean humidifier at beginning of heating season and change humidifier pad yearly
• Check ducts and repair leaks or separations, insulate if in an unheated area
• Check flue pipes for signs of rust, corrosions or holes

Boiler Efficiency Tips

• Maintain yearly and dust radiators regularly
• Check water level and pressure
• Check for leaks

                          A look inside duct work! Don’t breathe this!

Also, have your ducts inspected before this winter.  If you don’t remember the last time that your ducts were cleaned, then it should be done.  Remove one of your cold air return registers and try to look at the inside.  There is probably a lot of dust, sawdust, allergens, and possibly mold.  Valley Services cleans all of your duct work and inspects and cleans your furnace too!