Last Wednesday the City of Cornwall observed Energy Efficiency Day. During a lunch and learn webinar, a group of panelists live broadcast a Zoom meeting and invited the public to attend and interact during the Q&A session. A lot of valuable information was shared by energy advisors, utility companies, as well as by Walker ClimateCare.
Energy efficiency is an important topic to many people. To some, it’s purely about doing the right thing so the planet is in better shape for future generations. To others, it’s about making pragmatic choices that keep money in their pockets instead of their utility providers’. Regardless of motivation, everyone seems to agree: conserving energy is a purely good thing.
With heating and cooling occupying the biggest part of most Canadian’s utility spend at around 40%, it behooves us to better understand the energy ratings of these major appliances. As fall weather has finally arrived in Cornwall, let’s focus on heating for our examples.
Furnace efficiency is primarily measured through Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, which applies only to fuel-burning furnaces. AFUE refers to how much of the fuel you burn is used to heat your home. A furnace with an AFUE rating of 98 will use 98% of the natural gas or propane you feed it to heat air, with just 2% going out the chimney. Most recent gas-fired furnaces have AFUE ratings of 95 or above. Many older oil-burning furnaces had ratings well below today’s high efficiency standards, often getting as low as the 60s! If you’ve still got one of these old oil furnaces, it’s high time to replace it with something more efficient and save on utility bills and Carbon Tax!
If you’re using a heat pump, the old standard by which to measure efficiency was the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. Since January 1st 2023, the government has updated the to the new HSPF2 rating. This new rating more accurately measures seasonal performance ratings of heat pumps and attaches to a schedule of prescribed zones with different thresholds unique to each one’s climate. Speaking generally, heat pumps will be more efficient than furnaces. This is because unlike furnaces that generate heat, these machines work to transfer the warmth from outdoor air indoors, which requires far less energy. Yes, even the air outside in the cold Seaway valley days has warmth in it! So, while a furnace’s efficiency peaks at around 98%, a heat pump can achieve significantly greater results, producing 2 to 3X more kilowatt hours (kWh) of heat than it consumes. Of note, a heat pump’s Coefficient of Performance or COP rating is not quite the same. While HSPF2 and COP both correlate heat output to energy consumption, HSFP2 averages the results across the entire season, whereas COP ratings are specific to a precise temperature. A good understanding of both metrics, and your local climate, will help inform the best decision in equipment selection.
Energy efficiency shouldn’t be a mystery, and neither should your utility bill. Take a few moments to ensure you understand what you’re using and paying for, and don’t be shy to contact your utility provider or HVAC contractor if you have any questions – we’re here to help!
