Natural Gas High - Efficiency Furnaces. More Heat for your heating dollar


What is a high-efficiency furnace?
When it comes to heating your home, a high efficiency furnace can save you energy dollars and improve comfort.
A high-efficiency furnace is the most energy-efficient furnace available, with an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) of 90% or higher. AFUE indicates the percentage of fuel turned into heat, therefore, the higher the AFUE, the more efficient the unit is and the more energy dollars you can save. Mid-efficient furnaces have an AFUE rating between 78% and 82%.
High-efficiency furnaces also deliver even, comfortable heat. A high-efficiency furnace has a second heat exchanger - the major difference when compared to a mid-efficiency furnace. Exhaust gases from a high-efficiency furnace are cool enough that they are vented through an outside wall with a plastic pipe. Energy efficiency is further increased, as a chimney is not required.

How efficient is your furnace?
The majority of Canadian homes built between 1950 and 1970 have standard gas furnaces with a seasonal efficiency of about 60%. With Natural Resources Canada proposed change in seasonal efficiency standards, soon only high-efficiency gas furnaces will be available. Generally, homes built between 1980 and 1990 will have mid-efficiency furnaces, while homes built after 1990 may have mid or high-efficiency furnaces.

Replacing your furnace?
Make sure you choose the right size furnace for your house. Most furnaces can provide far more heat than a house requires, even on the coldest winter day.
As a result, the odds are that you won't need to buy a new furnace with the same output as your current one. A furnace of the correct size will also operate more efficiently, last longer, save you money on heating throughout the season and provide comfort in all areas of your home. To find out how many BTU's your furnace should be, have a qualified heating contractor do a home heat loss calculation.

How do I know it’s a high-efficiency furnace?
Always look for the Energy Guide label. This rating system helps consumers compare the energy efficiency of products. An Energy Guide label with the furnaces AFUE rating is shown on the back page of manufacturers brochures. Included on the Energy Guide label is a rating scale showing the range of efficiencies for gas furnaces on the market.
While Canada’s EnerGuide label helps you to compare how much energy a product uses, the ENERGY STAR® symbol helps you to identify which ones are the most energy-efficient. When shopping, look for the Energy Guide Label along with the ENERGY STAR symbol.

Did You Know?
As of December 31, 2009 gas furnaces manufactured or imported into Canada for most residential uses must have a minimum AFUE of 90% as mandated by Natural Resources Canada.

Don’t high-efficiency furnaces require more maintenance?
All furnaces require regular maintenance. Most furnaces operate below peak efficiency because of poor maintenance. A well-tuned and efficiently operating heating system can significantly reduce your annual fuel bill.
Keep in mind that regular and proper maintenance of your furnace is relatively inexpensive, will extend the life of your heating system, save you energy dollars, and ensure your homes comfort and safety. Make sure your home heating system is working at peak

Heating Tune-Up.
Anytime is the right time to have your furnace maintained!
Lower your energy costs with ENERGY STAR® qualified equipment*

#1 Energy Saving Tip:
Replace your old furnace with an ENERGY STAR qualified furnace with a brushless DC motor.
Save up to $509 a year with an ENERGY STAR qualified furnace with a brushless DC motor. Not only will you realize natural gas savings but electrical savings, too. High efficiency motors operate efficiently and economically under varying load conditions while increasing the efficiency of your heating and air conditioning system, resulting in significant energy savings. Your home will have better air circulation, even temperature distribution – plus reduced electrical costs.

How can I save more money?
High-Efficiency Furnace* (90%)
Direct Drive Motor
High-Efficiency Furnace* (95-98%)
DC Variable Speed Motor
One of the easiest ways to save energy and money is to install a programmable thermostat. You determine the settings for your home and the programmable thermostat takes care of raising or lowering the temperature.
As a general rule, you will save 2% on your heating bill for every 1°C you turn down the thermostat overnight. With a programmable thermostat to consistently lower your heat when you don’t need it, you could save up to $54 a year!
Save even more...
• Clean or replace your furnace filter every 1-2 months. A dirty filter reduces airflow and forces the furnace to run longer to heat your home.
• Lower your thermostat by 4-5 degrees Celsius while you’re sleeping at night or when no one is at home.
• Keep your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted with annual maintenance. If your furnace is working at peak efficiency, it will use less energy and cost less to operate.

Balancing The Air in your Home:

Heating Specifics
• Partially close off vents in the warmer rooms. This will reduce air flow to the warmer rooms and force more air into the cooler rooms.
• Try adjusting upstairs vents in a two-story home with only one heating and cooling system to counter the effect of warm air rising from the first floor.
• Kitchens are particularly vulnerable to excessive warming, especially from the extra heat generated by cooking. Adjust the kitchen vents, if you have them, until the room is comfortable.
• Once you have adjusted all of the vents throughout your home so that the comfort level is more balanced from room to room, return your thermostat to your usual settings.

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Cooling Specifics
• Partially close off vents in the cooler rooms. This will reduce air flow to the cooler rooms and force more air into the warmer rooms.
• Closing off unused rooms is NOT recommended during the cooling season.
The energy savings are minimal and restricted air flow may cause the temperature inside the cooling coil to drop below the freezing point and ice up. This could damage the compressor, which may require costly repairs.
• Experiment with small changes. Beyond the half-closed position, the vent controls are very sensitive and slight adjustments may result in very large changes in air flow.
• Check your window coverings. Proper air flow to a room during the cooling season assumes some kind of draperies or shading on all windows. Any room without coverings, especially on south or west-facing windows, may be warmer than a room with an east or north exposure.
Balancing your home’s air flow may take some time and patience.

CHOOSING OR UPGRADING YOUR CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONER

Central air conditioners are more efficient than room air conditioners. In addition, they are out of the way, quiet, and convenient to operate. To save energy and money, you should try to buy an energy-efficient air conditioner and reduce your central air conditioner's energy use. In an average air-conditioned home, air conditioning consumes more than 2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, causing power plants to emit about 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide and 31 pounds of sulfur dioxide.

If you are considering adding central air conditioning to your home, the deciding factor may be the need for duct work.

If you have an older central air conditioner, you might choose to replace the outdoor compressor with a modern, high-efficiency unit. If you do so, consult a local heating and cooling contractor to assure that the new compressor is properly matched to the indoor unit. However, considering recent changes in refrigerants and air conditioning designs, it might be wiser to replace the entire system.

Today's best air conditioners use 30% to 50% less energy to produce the same amount of cooling as air conditioners made in the mid-1970's. Even if your air conditioner is only 10 years old, you may save 20% to 40% of your cooling energy costs by replacing it with a newer, more efficient model.

Proper sizing and installation are key elements in determining air conditioner efficiency. Too large a unit will not adequately remove humidity and run on and off cycles without cooling the home effectively. Too small a unit will not be able to attain a comfortable temperature on the hottest days and run for long periods of time never to shut off. Improper unit location, lack of insulation, and improper duct installation can greatly diminish efficiency.

When buying an air conditioner, look for a model with a high efficiency. Central air conditioners are rated according to their seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). SEER indicates the relative amount of energy needed to provide a specific cooling output. Many older systems have SEER ratings of 6 or less. The minimum SEER allowed today is 13. Look for the ENERGY STAR® label for central air conditioners with SEER ratings of 13 or greater, but consider using air conditioning equipment with higher SEER ratings for greater savings.

New residential central air conditioner standards went into effect on January 23, 2006. Air conditioners manufactured after January 26, 2006 must achieve a SEER of 13 or higher. SEER 13 is 30% more efficient than the previous minimum SEER of 10. The standard applies only to appliances manufactured after January 23, 2006

Refrigerant 410A was developed to replace refrigerant 22 because R-22 is being phased out due to its ozone depletion potential. R-410A has no ozone depletion potential but does have a higher global 410A is:

Less reactive with the environment


R410A  is the industry's choice to replace R-22 in central air conditioning systems. It is less reactive with the environment while having the same home cooling characteristics of R-22. R410A is not interchangeable with R-22—you choose one or the other and your air cooling equipment is designed to operate with it. When you purchase a R-410A system, a new line set is included with your central air installation as well as a new evaporator coil. Our experience with R-410A has been excellent. New cooling systems have been dependable and efficient, as well as operating quieter! R-410A is the refrigerant of the future! Less reactive with the environment.


R-22 also known as Freon has been used for decades as the refrigerant in central air conditioning systems. However it has been linked to Ozone depletion and has therefore been banned from being manufactured after the year 2010. Its price will increase as the supply decreases.

To sum it up today's new style products will save you money from a new high-efficiency furnace to the new 410a high- efficiency air conditioners. Saving you money in natural gas consumption and in hydro drawing less amps and volts.