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CONSERVE ENERGY AND SAVE MONEY |
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Are your energy bills too high? Is your
home not as comfortable as you want it to be? Do you want to do more
to protect the environment? Do you have teenagers at home giving your
hot water bill a beating? Whatever your situation, this will help you
to find a solution that’s right for you. This guide is primarily
aimed at homeowners who are thinking of upgrading or replacing their
home’s existing heating or cooling systems. It also contains useful
information for people who are having a home built for them, and for
those who want to reduce their energy consumption in general.
While builders generally offer a standard
heating or heating/cooling package, upgrades to more efficient
equipment might be available. Familiarity with the different systems,
fuel options, their comparative prices and operating costs will help
you to review upgrade options with your builder. Remember to also ask
your builder about other energy efficiency upgrades, which can range
from extra insulation to a complete R-2000-certified home. Before
being R-2000-certified, each home is evaluated and tested to ensure a
high level of energy efficiency has been designed and built into it.
There are both financial and environmental benefits to conserving
energy and using it wisely. To help you conserve even more, this will
also direct you to resources that can help you reduce energy consumed
for purposes beyond heating and cooling your home.
A Wise Choice
The options presented will help you to
select heating and cooling systems that meet the needs of both your
lifestyle and your check book. Besides the obvious savings for you
that occur by lowering your consumption, by reducing demand for energy
through conservation or, in the case of electricity, even from
shifting consumption to times of lower demand, together we can lower
the market price for the energy that is consumed. The advantages of
investing in energy efficiency aren’t only felt within your family
budget– they are realized in the cleaner environment that goes hand
in hand with more efficient systems and the wise use of energy.
Before You Start
Putting an energy-efficient heating system
into a drafty, poorly insulated house will reduce your energy bills.
But you’ll notice a more dramatic saving, and even make yourself
more comfortable, if you also make your entire house more energy
efficient. How? Here are some ideas…
By making your house more
energy-efficient, your heating and cooling systems will work less, and
you may reduce the capacity needed when you replace your systems,
which means more savings for you.
Why Energy Efficiency Matters
It’s good for your budget, your comfort
and our environment. Each year you spend hundreds of dollars to heat
and cool your home and to heat your hot water. By installing
energy-efficient equipment, which gives you the same comfort for less
energy, you can lower these costs. Furthermore, the lower you can make
your energy costs now, the better off you will be should energy prices
go up – and conservation reduces upward pressure on energy prices.
Whenever fuels are burned – in your
home, in a generating station to produce electricity, in vehicles or
elsewhere – carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide are
released. These emissions contribute to environmental concerns
including smog, acid rain and climate change. Reducing energy use
lowers the amounts of these emissions and their impact on the
environment. You can help by practicing energy efficiency and
conservation not only in heating and cooling your home, but everywhere
at home, in the workplace and in your transportation choices. Many
factors can affect your annual energy bill such as size and location
of your home, yearly variations in weather,
efficiency of your furnace and other appliances,
thermostat settings, number of occupants,
and the local cost of energy.
Are you serious about how to go
about cutting your heating and cooling costs?
Follow these steps:
There are four common types of heating
units:
Most heating systems need air for
combustion. Furnaces, boilers and space heaters that burn fuels need a
supply of air to be able to burn properly, and a vent to the outdoors
so that combustion gases can escape from the house. Electric heaters
do not need to be vented. Combustion is a two-step process: air in,
and gases out.
Air in
In the past, there was usually plenty of
air leaking into a house to keep the furnace, boiler or stove burning
well. Modern homes, however, are better sealed and use controlled
ventilation, rather than uncontrolled leakage, to provide greater
comfort and energy efficiency. Vents that supply air for heating units
should never be blocked. It is important to ensure that there is an
adequate supply of combustion air available, even when other air
exhausting equipment is in use.
Gases out
Venting used to be done through a chimney.
Today, however, many models of natural gas, oil and propane equipment
can be vented by pipe directly through the wall, which greatly
simplifies
installation. Remember that combustion
gases cannot escape from your home unless you provide air to replace
them. That’s why venting problems can often be traced to air supply
problems.
Controls
The indoor temperature is automatically
controlled by a thermostat. Two important considerations are location
and type. Central systems are normally controlled by a single
thermostat. To achieve proper temperature control, the thermostat must
be located in an area where it will sense the “average” indoor
temperature. Locations exposed to localized
temperature extremes (outside walls, drafts, sunlight, hot
ducts or pipes, etc.) should be avoided.
Different types of thermostats are
available. Basic types maintain a fixed indoor temperature. However,
you can reduce your heating costs by installing a set-back thermostat
which can be programmed to automatically lower the temperature when no
one is home or everyone is in bed, and then warm up the house before
you get home or wake up. Savings will vary, but a set-back of 3ºC for
eight hours daily could reduce your heating costs by about 5%.
Where space heaters are used, each unit
will likely be individually controlled by its own thermostat – which
is usually the basic type. This allows you to keep unused areas at a
lower temperature than those areas you do use.
Distribution Systems
There are three types of distribution
systems.
It is important that a distribution system
is properly designed, installed and operated to ensure maximum energy
efficiency and comfort levels. Try to avoid placing any part of your
distribution system outside of your home’s insulation. This is
sometimes done as a simple remedy to a routing problem, but there is
always some heat loss through the wall of any distribution system. It
is better that any losses heat (or cool) you rather than your attic.
Forced Air
Registers in each room can be adjusted to
control the air flow. Return registers draw air from the rooms through
separate ducts back to the furnace to complete the cycle of air flow
through the
house. Leaks in forced air distribution
systems are often ignored because they normally do not cause any
obvious damage, but it is important to avoid/eliminate such leaks.
Leaks will affect a distribution system’s ability to provide comfort
in all areas of the house, and leaks in some parts of the system can
result in significant energy loss and/or condensation-related damage
which may be hidden from sight.
Hot water (Hydronic) Heating
Distributes hot water from a boiler to
radiators, convectors or under-floor heating systems in each room. In
older homes, large cast-iron radiators are common. Modern systems
feature smaller boilers, narrow piping and compact radiators that can
be regulated to provide temperature control in each room.
Under-the-floor heating systems can be built into the floors of new
and existing homes.
Space heaters
These have no central heating unit or
distribution system. Instead, individual space heaters – such as a
wood stove, electric baseboards, radiant heaters or heaters fueled
with oil, natural gas or propane – supply heat directly to the room.
For safety, all space heaters except electric ones need to be vented
to the outside. An appropriately sized space heater can supply some
heat to all parts of a home if the design of the home allows for
natural distribution of heat from the heater location. In most cases,
more than one unit is required to comply with building code
requirements, but multiple units allow you to vary the temperature
around the house.
Energy Sources and Equipment
Options
Natural gas
Furnaces in forced air heating systems,
boilers in hot water systems, fireplaces and space heaters can be
fueled by natural gas. It is delivered to your house through an
underground pipeline. (It is not available in some areas.)
Propane
Most equipment fueled by propane is
similar to that fueled by natural gas. In many cases, the only
differences are one or two small components that can often be changed
by a registered
contractor to convert a unit from one fuel
to the other. Propane is delivered by truck and stored in a tank on
your property.
Gas equipment
Because of their similarities, natural gas
and propane heating equipment are discussed together. The term
“gas” refers to both natural gas and propane. The cost of the two
fuels differs, so remember to check for cost comparisons.
There are three main types of gas
furnaces:
Gas boilers have similar ranges of
seasonal efficiency.
Older conventional gas furnaces
and boilers
Some older furnaces and boilers, which are
no longer produced but are still in use, require a continuous liner in
a masonry chimney or a metal “B” vent chimney. The liner is needed
because the combustion gases contain water vapor which condenses on
masonry and causes deterioration over time. About 35 per cent of the
heat from the fuel goes up the chimney with these models.
Mid-efficiency gas furnaces and
boilers
These models remove more heat from
combustion gases so that less heat escapes when the gases are
exhausted and efficiency is improved. Depending on the circumstances,
they might be vented through a wall or through a chimney.
High-efficiency (condensing) gas
furnaces and boilers
These models extract so much heat from
combustion gases in order to achieve their efficiency, that they can
be safely vented through a narrow plastic pipe that runs through the
wall.
Gas-fueled fireplaces
Gas fireplaces are sometimes used to
provide space heating, though they are often chosen for aesthetic
reasons. There can be significant differences in energy efficiency
from one model
to another, and the effective efficiency
of some types can be significantly affected by how they are used.
Oil
Oil furnaces and boilers have a burner, a
heat exchanger and a blower or pump. Oil is delivered by truck and
stored in a tank, which is usually located in the basement.
Older conventional oil furnaces
and boilers
Older, conventional oil furnaces and
boilers with a standard burner have a seasonal efficiency generally
ranging from 60 to 70%. Like older, conventional gas furnaces and
boilers, they are no longer produced. However, in an existing model
that is working well, the seasonal efficiency can be improved by
replacing the burner with a flame retention unit – usually a more
cost-effective step than replacing the entire furnace.
New oil furnaces and boilers
A typical new oil furnace or boiler has a
seasonal efficiency rating generally ranging from 78 to 86 per cent.
Many of these units can be vented through the wall.
Oil stoves
There are free-standing oil space heaters
with a visible flame now available. There are no efficiency standards
for these products.
Electricity
Electric resistance systems can consist of
a central furnace or boiler connected to an air or hot water
distribution system, radiant panels embedded in the floor or ceiling
or a baseboard space heating system. Electricity also powers heat
pumps. When electric resistance heating is used in a new home,
including as a back-up for an air source heat pump, the building code
requires
the house to be built with higher minimum
levels of insulation.
Heat pumps
A heat pump is usually an
electrically-powered system that can either heat or cool by
transferring heat from one place to another. During the heating
season, a heat pump extracts heat from
either the air, ground or water outside
the house, and transfers it indoors. In the summer the direction of
the heat flow is reversed, extracting heat from indoors and
transferring it outdoors, to
provide air conditioning. Because they
satisfy a substantial part of your heating needs by utilizing already
available heat, rather than consuming electricity to generate all of
the heat you need,
heat pumps are significantly more
efficient than electric resistance heating.
There are three main types of heat pumps:
Air source heat pumps
These most commonly-used heat pumps can
provide all the cooling requirements of a home and most of the heating
needs, but they require an auxiliary heating source during very cold
weather. This can be either an electric resistance or a fossil fuel
unit.
Earth energy systems
Also known as ground source heat pumps,
these systems transfer heat from the ground, ground water or surface
water and use it to provide home heating. For summer cooling, the
process is reversed. If desired, earth energy systems can be equipped
to provide domestic hot water year round. Electric resistance heaters
may be installed to provide supplementary heating for the
coldest days.They normally utilize much
less electric resistance heat and offer significantly higher
efficiency than air source heat pumps.
Wood
Some households use wood as their main
fuel but even more use it as a supplementary source of heat. Most of
these households are outside large urban areas where firewood is
usually less expensive than other fuels. The most common approach to
wood heating today is a wood stove or high-efficiency fireplace
installed in the main living area of the house. If the house is
medium-sized and relatively new, this kind
of equipment can provide almost all the heat needed.
If you have an existing masonry fireplace,
a high-efficiency fireplace insert could be a good option. And many
models offer the pleasure of a visible wood fire.
Older or larger houses may need the
additional heating power offered by a wood-burning furnace. If your
present heating system is a forced air furnace that uses a more costly
fuel, you might want to consider an add-on wood furnace. It is
installed beside the existing furnace and the duct work is modified so
that it can be shared by both furnaces. Combination wood/oil or
wood/electric furnaces are options for new or replacement systems.
Stoves that burn pellets made from wood or agricultural crops such as
corn kernels are also available. Pellets are automatically fed into
the burner and the householder simply dials in the required
temperature on the thermostat.
When shopping for wood-burning equipment,
visit several wood heat retail stores and discuss appliance selection,
location and installation with a knowledgeable salesperson.Always buy
wood-burning equipment that is certified for safety. It
is also preferable to buy equipment that has
been certified as meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) or Canadian CSA-B415 emission standards. These certified
wood-burning appliances produce one-tenth of the chimney
emissions and one-third higher efficiency than earlier units.
Outdoor furnace
“Outdoor” wood furnaces or boilers are
also on the market. They may appear attractive, because they will burn
low cost material you would not think of putting in an indoor
appliance and can burn for long periods between refueling. However,
they can be low on efficiency and high on emissions.
Solar energy
Like wood, solar energy is a renewable
resource. Solar heating does not involve the combustion of fuels, so
it does not produce environmentally-harmful emissions. It can be as
simple as south facing windows serving as passive solar collectors.
Passive solar heating is free and should be an important consideration
in the design of homes. Homes built to high levels of energy
efficiency and designed to make the most use of free solar heating can
save hundreds of dollars a year on energy bills.
Other energy sources
Residential systems are available to
generate electricity from sunlight or wind. In certain situations,
such as remote locations, one of these may be the most practical
option. In addition, the government is establishing standardized
processes and technical requirements which will require electricity
distributors to allow customers with qualifying generation equipment
to supplement their utility electricity needs with power they generate
themselves.
Cooling Systems (air conditioning)
Two types of units cool an entire house: a
central air conditioner or a heat pump. If you only need to cool a
specific area, a window air conditioning unit could be your most
energy-conserving choice. Regardless of what type you are considering,
remember that models will vary in efficiency ratings and efficiency
has a direct impact on operating costs, so optimizing efficiency
should be a priority. Consider buying an ENERGY STAR®-qualified
model.
Central cooling
If you decide you want to cool your entire
house, you should consider which system to install – central air
conditioning or a heat pump – when reviewing your home’s heating
needs. An air conditioner is actually a heat pump that can only cool.
*Remember: your heating decisions can affect your cooling options.
Duct work for central air
Duct work is generally needed to carry
cool air throughout the house in a central air conditioning system. If
you have a forced air heating system you can usually use the same
ducts for cooling. If you do not have duct work, you can look into
installing it or consider air conditioning technologies that have been
developed for homes without ducts. These alternatives are more costly,
so if you are considering them, investigate your options with your
heating/cooling contractor.
Mini splits
Mini splits are systems suited to homes
without a central air-distribution system. No duct work is required.
The system consists of two components: an outdoor condensing unit, and
an indoor evaporator and fan. The indoor section can frequently be
mounted on any interior or exterior wall, and is much quieter than a
window unit.
Window units
Window air conditioners are effective if
you only need to cool a specific area of your home. They will cost
less to install than a central air conditioning system. If you don’t
have duct work, they might be your most practical choice. It is
important to match the capacity of the window air conditioner with the
size of the area to be cooled. Window units should either be covered
in winter or, better still, removed to minimize heat loss.
Other Ways to Cool Your House
The following measures will help keep your
home more comfortable:
Storage-type water heaters
Most homes have storage-type water heaters
in which water in a tank is heated by a gas or oil burner or by
electric elements. Traditional storage heaters have been improved with
such features as through-the-wall venting for combustion units and
better insulation, making them less expensive to operate. Units
designed to give even greater efficiency are now available.
Instantaneous water heaters
Instantaneous water heaters which heat
water as needed and have no storage tank are available, but not
widely. They require little space, but they usually cost more than
storage-type water heaters and more than one unit might be required to
meet your needs. For electric instantaneous water heaters, upgraded
wiring is often necessary.
Integrated (combination) hot water
systems
Systems that combine space heating and
water heating are becoming more popular. Water can be heated with a
boiler or a storage-tank water heater. The hot water can be used for
space heating as well as domestic hot water needs. Space heating
methods include baseboard radiators, in-floor radiant heating and
forced air heating when piped to an air handler. Some of these systems
can also be used for pool and spa heating and snow-melting
applications. Combo systems vary widely in efficiency and must be
carefully designed to give satisfactory service.
Solar water heaters
In solar water heaters, energy from the
sun is collected by solar panels and transferred by circulating fluids
to a storage tank. These heaters are typically used with an electric
water heater, or one fueled by oil, natural gas or propane, which acts
as a back-up for overcast days. Solar collector panels can be mounted
on any unobstructed roof, wall or ground frame that faces between
southeast and southwest. Solar water
heaters are designed to provide between 35 and 75% of your hot water
needs, with the back-up providing the balance.
Replacing Your System
Review your options, consider the pros and
cons of different equipment and fuels, and compare installation and
operating costs. Now get ready to improve your existing system, and
it’s time to select a contractor. Here are some tips:
Prices can vary significantly among
contractors. Ask each firm for a written estimate covering the
following items:
Use costs (both installed and operating),
work schedule, warranties and service as the basis for your decision.
Ask the contractors you are considering for references, and follow up
by contacting previous customers. Ask what they think about the
contractor, fuel supplier and the options you are considering.
In order to correctly size new heating and
cooling equipment, your contractor must analyze how much heat is lost
from your home in winter and gained in summer. Ask for this heat
loss/gain analysis in writing, including the method used to perform
the calculation. This calculation should take into consideration such
factors as the size of the house, its level of insulation and the
condition of windows and doors. If the heat loss and gain is
significant and you haven’t already taken steps to increase the
energy efficiency of the house, now is the time to do it.
Avoid the temptation to simply choose the
same size equipment that already exists in your house without doing a
heat loss/gain analysis. Your home has likely been altered over the
years
and the system might even have been the
wrong size at the start. An oversized unit will usually operate below
peak efficiency, and both oversized and undersized units can adversely
affect the
comfort of your home. Any installation
involving combustion equipment should include steps to ensure that
there will be an adequate supply of air for combustion and venting,
and that other air exhausting equipment will not cause problems.
Changing Your Water Heater
Size is an important consideration when
selecting new hot water equipment. A larger family is likely to use
more hot water. A “downsized” household – for example, an older
couple whose children have grown up and moved into their own homes –
will no longer need a water heater meant to supply the needs of four
or more people. By practicing water conservation – for example, by
installing energy-efficient showerheads and aerators on taps and using
cold water in your washing machine – you can substantially reduce
your hot water usage.
Steps to installing a hot water
tank
Contact your local fuel supplier or
contractor and ask for the efficiency ratings of the models you are
considering. When you have selected a unit just big enough to meet
your household needs, your fuel supplier or contractor can arrange for
a qualified serviceperson to install the water heater. If you have an
electric hot water tank, wrap it in an insulating blanket. Make sure
the blanket is certified for use on your heater and is properly
installed. Insulate both the hot and cold water lines of the tank and
consider installing a heat trap. Be careful not to insulate the pipes
too close to the flue of a fossil-fueled tank. Ask your fuel supplier
about any water heating cost-saving programs they offer. Some
suppliers do some of the work at little or no cost to you.
Glossary of terms
Here is a quick overview of terms used in
this guide and that you’ll need to know as you gather information
about your home heating and cooling options.
AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMP
A heating-cooling unit that transfers heat
in either direction between the air outside a home and the indoors.
AIR SUPPLY FOR COMBUSTION
The air that a furnace, boiler or space
heater requires to burn fuel.
AQUASTAT
A thermostat that controls the water
temperature in a boiler.
BOILER
The heating unit used with a hot water (hydronic)
distribution system.
CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONER
A unit that cools an entire house by
removing heat from the inside air and releasing it outside.
CONTROLS
Devices such as a thermostat that regulate
a heating or cooling system.
CONVENTIONAL GAS FURNACE OR BOILER
A gas heating unit with an annual fuel
utilization efficiency (AFUE) less than 70%. It exhausts through a
masonry chimney (which should be lined) or metal “B” vent.
COST-EFFECTIVE HEATING/COOLING
SYSTEM
One that produces good value for money
after all costs (purchase, installation, financing and energy charges)
are considered.
The components of a heating or cooling
system that deliver warmed or cooled air, or warmed water, to the
living space.
DOMESTIC HOT WATER
Hot water used for household purposes.
EARTH ENERGY SYSTEM
(ground source heat pump)
A heat pump that transfers heat from the
earth or ground water in cold weather and transfers it to the house
through an underground piping system for space heating, cooling or
water heating. The process reverses in warm weather, and heat is
discharged to the ground or water.
ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE HEATING
Heat produced by passing electricity
through a resistor.
FLAME RETENTION HEAD BURNER
A higher-efficiency burner in an oil
furnace. It produces a hotter flame and operates with a lower air
flow, thus reducing heat loss up the chimney.
FLUOROCARBON REFRIGERANTS
The fluids commonly used in refrigerating
and air conditioning equipment to create the cooling effect. These
fluids can damage the environment.
FORCED AIR
A distribution system in which a fan
circulates air from the heating or cooling unit to the rooms through a
network of ducts.
FOSSIL FUEL
A naturally occurring carbon or
hydrocarbon fuel such as natural gas, propane and oil, formed by the
decomposition of prehistoric organisms.
FURNACE
A heating unit that uses a forced air
distribution system.
GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP
Another term for an Earth Energy System.
HEAT EXCHANGER
A structure that transfers heat from one
gas or liquid to another gas or liquid. For example, the hot
combustion gases in a furnace to the circulating household air or, in
a boiler, to the circulating hot water.
HEAT RECOVERY VENTILATOR (HRV)
A device used in central ventilation
systems to reduce the amount of heat that is lost as household air is
replaced with outside air. As fresh air enters the house, it passes
through a heat exchanger heated by the warm outgoing air stream and is
preheated.
HIGH-EFFICIENCY (condensing)
FURNACE OR BOILER
A heating unit with an annual fuel
utilization efficiency (AFUE) of 90% or more. It has a second
stainless steel heat exchanger that removes additional heat from
exhaust gases. Water vapor condenses as the exhaust cools. The unit
vents through a narrow plastic wall pipe instead of a chimney.
HYDRONIC SYSTEM
A distribution system in which hot water
is circulated through a network of pipes to radiators, wall panels or
an under-floor heating system.
INSTALLED COST
The total of the purchase price and the
installation costs of equipment.
INSTANTANEOUS WATER HEATER
A device that heats water as required but
does not store it. The unit is usually located near the point of use.
INTEGRATED (combo) HOT WATER
SYSTEM
A system that provides both space and
water heating from a single heat source.
KILOWATT
A unit of electrical power used to measure
the heating capacity of electric equipment. One kilowatt (kW) equals
1,000 watts (W).
A gas heating unit with an annual fuel
utilization efficiency (AFUE) of 78 to 82%. Some models exhaust
through the basement wall.
NEW OIL FURNACE
Efficiencies (AFUE) range from 78 to 86%.
Has flue gases that may be exhausted through a chimney or a side wall
vent.
R-2000
A performance standard for new homes under
a voluntary government/industry program. Builders meet the standard by
offering an integrated package of features designed to meet the R-2000
requirements. The package includes high insulation levels,
air-tightness, heat recovery ventilation and efficient heating/cooling
systems.
RETROFIT
Replacement of one or more components of
an existing system.
SEASONAL EFFICIENCY
A performance rating that considers the
heat (or ‘cool’) actually delivered to the living space, the total
energy available in the fuel consumed, and the impact the equipment
itself has on the total heating or cooling load through an entire
heating or cooling season. HSPF, AFUE, SEER and EF are seasonal
efficiency ratings.
SEER
seasonal energy efficiency ratio
SETBACK THERMOSTAT
A programmable thermostat with a built-in
timer. You can adjust it to vary household temperature automatically.
SPACE HEATER
A heating unit that supplies heat directly
to the room where it is located and is not connected to a distribution
system.
STORAGE-TYPE WATER HEATER
A tank that heats and stores hot water.
TON
A measure of the cooling capacity for
central air conditioners and heat pumps.
Efficiency Ratings: AFUE, COP,
HSPF, SEER & EER
Take a few moments to familiarize yourself
with the efficiency ratings you’ll find on various pieces of
equipment.
Boilers and Furnaces
Rating to look for: AFUE
The annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE)
of furnaces and boilers measures their performance over a typical
heating season. It takes into account things like on-and-off cycles
and heat loss through the chimney or vent, and is the most useful
furnace and boiler rating available. The higher the rating, the more
efficient the unit.
There is a second efficiency rating for
furnaces and boilers and it is known as steady-state efficiency. It is
higher than an AFUE rating but it’s not as helpful. It measures the
equipment’s performance after it has been running a short while and
all components have reached their normal operating temperature. The
steady state efficiency of furnaces and boilers is determined by
comparing the amount of heat that’s
available in the fuel to the amount that is converted into usable
heat, but it does not include off-cycle losses.
Wood-burning appliances
Advanced equipment which is certified as
meeting the EPA or CSA-B415 emissions standard normally exceeds 60%
and averages 70% efficiency. Conventional wood-burning appliances
which are not certified as low emission average 50% efficiency, with a
range of 35 - 70%. Although some wood burning equipment is
specifically certified for efficiency, most is not.
Also, most wood-burning appliances are
manually operated, not automatic, and so the practices of the operator
will affect the efficiency actually achieved.
Heat pumps
Ratings to look for: COP, HSPF
Earth energy systems are rated for heating
efficiency by comparing them to electric resistance heat. The
measurement used is called the coefficient of performance – COP –
and is determined by dividing the heat output by the energy input.
Since the COP of an electric resistance heater is 1.0 – which means
that the same amount of energy that goes into it as electricity comes
out as heat – any rating higher than 1.0 means that for the same
amount of electricity going in, more heat comes out. Look for a COP of
3.1 or more.
The heating efficiency rating for an air
source heat pump is called the heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF).
This is determined by dividing the total heat provided during the
season (in BTU) by the total energy consumed by the system (in
watt-hours). The higher the rating, the more efficient the heat pump
is over the entire heating season. Look for an HSPF of more than 5.9.
Air conditioners and air source
heat pumps
Ratings to look for: SEER
A SEER rating, which stands for Seasonal
Energy Efficiency Ratio, tells you the cooling energy efficiency of
air conditioners and air source heat pumps. The rating is determined
by dividing the total cooling provided during the season (in BTU) by
the total energy consumed by the system (in watt-hours). The higher
the rating, the more energy-efficient the unit. SEERs for new central
air conditioners and air source heat pumps currently range from 10 to
17. For room air conditioners, the range is 8 to 12.
Earth energy systems
Ratings to look for: EER
If you want to know how efficiently an
earth energy system can cool, look for the letters EER, which stand
for energy efficiency ratio. EER ratings are determined by dividing
the cooling output of the ground or water source heat pump (in
BTU/hour) by the power input (in watts). Look for an EER of at least
10.5.
Hot water equipment
Storage-type Hot Water Heaters
An energy factor (EF) is used to rate the
energy efficiency of storage-type hot water heaters. Both on-cycle
efficiency and off-cycle losses are taken into account, which makes it
a seasonal rating. The higher the EF, the more efficient the unit. You
can expect the following energy factor ranges for new storage-type
water heaters:
A storage-type water heater added to an
earth energy system will normally have an energy factor of 2.7 to 3.1.
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