Saskatchewan's Green Directory Helping Saskatchewan choose a better environment

What to look for

Proper Sizing

Make sure the heating capacity of the furnace is not too high for your home--many furnaces are substantially oversized. You can get an estimate of the furnace capacity you need in a number of ways. If you have had an EnerGuide for Houses or ecoENERGY evaluation carried out on your house, it is possible to calculate the heating capacity you require from the annual heating and hot water estimate. Or if you have reliable fuel consumption data for a full year you can run a similar calculation. Or hire an energy consultant / HVAC engineer / building physicist to estimate your heating requirement. Or ask your contractor do an accredited heat loss analysis such as "ACCA Manual J". [Simply estimating on the basis of floor area can sometimes result in large errors.]

High Efficiency Condensing Models

The efficiency of new gas furnaces is measured by the annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE), a measure of all-year-round performance. The AFUE for a modern furnaces could be anything from 80% to 96%. The best modern units are "condensing", which means they include an extra heat exchanger to capture energy by condensing the water vapour given off as the fuel burns. Condensing furnaces normally achieve 90% AFUE or higher. For this directory (see criteria here) we set a minimum of 94% AFUE for gas furnaces.

High Electrical Efficiency

A furnace can use a significant amount of electricity, mostly to power the fan motor. Variable speed fan motors are generally more efficient than standard ("PSC") motors and may save you hundreds of dollars per year. The approved models listed here all use high efficiency fan motors--if you are considering a different model, ask whether it has a variable speed brushless direct current motor.

Government Grants

Grants are available for efficient heating systems from two government programmes: EnerGuide for Houses (Saskatchewan) and ecoEnergy Retrofit (federal).

Criteria