November 6, 2006—The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced that it is proposing to raise the minimum energy efficiency standards for furnaces and boilers. Relative to the current standards, the proposed standards represent an improvement in energy efficiency of one to five percent, depending on the product class, says DOE.
For example, furnaces fueled with natural gas and intended to be installed indoors (“non-weatherized”) will have to meet an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) of 80 percent, whereas “weatherized” gas furnaces—designed to be installed outside the conditioned space—will have to meet an AFUE of 83 percent, explains DOE. AFUE is a measure of heating efficiency on an annual basis, defined as the heat delivered to the conditioned space over the course of a year divided by the fuel energy consumed, adds DOE.
The standard also sets the minimum AFUE for oil-fired furnaces, mobile home gas furnaces, and gas and oil-fired boilers. The proposed efficiency standard would apply to all covered furnaces and boilers offered for sale in the US, effective January 1, 2015.
DOE analyses indicate that the proposed standards would save an estimated 0.41 quadrillion Btu, or quads, of cumulative energy over 24 years (2015-2038). For comparison, US homes consume about six quads annually for space heating.
DOE will accept comments, data, and other information regarding the notice of proposed rulemaking until January 15, 2007. For the proposed standards, see the Federal Register site.
