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naturalLiving ❙ Fall-Winter03
a natural fit
W
ant to turn this winter into a cozy, lower-cost
season for your family? Installing a high-effi-
ciency or condensing natural gas furnace can
help make it happen.
“Condensing units have been around more than 10 years, and
each year they take a bigger share of the market,” says Glenn Pot-
tberg, national sales manager at ThermoProducts, a manufacturer
of high-efficiency furnaces. “Whether they’re replacing old units or
installing new, more homeowners want higher-efficiency models.”
The term furnace is used to describe a whole-house heating
system that heats a space. A heater, on the other hand, heats a
room or specific area by burning natural gas or propane; a flame
heats the air, which then heats the room. Boilers, on the
other hand, heat water, not air, then circulate that hot water
through plastic tubing, baseboards or radiators (see “Boiler
Basics,” at right).
Most whole-house heating systems are gas-fired and
can be divided into two classes: mid-efficiency and high-
efficiency. Mid-efficiency models are about 82 percent
efficient; that is, of 100 BTUs (British Thermal Units, a meas-
ure of heat), 82 end up being usable heat. High-efficiency
or condensing units include those with more than 90 per-
cent efficiency, so for those same 100 BTUs, 90 are used
and only 10 are lost. Given those kinds of numbers, the
savings difference can be significant.
The Consortium for Energy Efficiency — a nonprofit
organization that promotes the manufacture and purchase
of energy-efficient products — estimates that homeown-
ers can save up to 15 percent on energy bills with a qual-
ifying furnace and 10 percent with a high-efficiency boiler,
when compared to standard-efficiency units.
“If a homeowner has a furnace that’s 15 or 20 years old,
it’s probably much less efficient than even a mid-efficiency
model,” says Pottberg. “If they’ve got a 60 percent efficient
model and they replace it with a 90 percent efficient unit,
it’ll pay for itself in four or five years.”
Determining Efficiency
The U.S. Department of Energy sets efficiency standards
— known as the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, or
AFUE — for all boilers and furnaces. The current minimum
AFUE is 78 percent. The AFUE rating can be found on the
yellow Energy Guide label on each piece of equipment.
The most efficient heating units are called condensing.
In mid-efficiency units, the gas is burned off via what’s called a
heat exchanger, which then moves it through ductwork and a
blower to heat your house. In high-efficiency units, gas goes
through not one but two heat exchangers, where the secondary
exchanger can extract even more heat from the gas it’s burning.
The reason these furnaces are called “condensing” units is be-
cause they’re so efficient that condensation forms inside the second
heat exchanger. The solution is an inside drain that moves the mois-
ture safely away, usually outside the house. “The industry has been
able to get to 95 efficient percent with these, where years ago it
was only 78 to 80 percent,” Pottberg says. “Higher efficiency units
use less fuel and cost less to operate.”
The Heat Is On!
Discover how the right gas-fired heating equipment can keep
temperatures higher and translate into big savings.
By Amy E. Lemen
Boiler Basics
Need closet space? New energy-efficient boilers are hot —
and much smaller.
Just as energy-efficiency has translated to heaters, there are more
choices for homeowners when it comes to boilers. Perhaps the
biggest development is the materials used. Most boilers are made
from cast iron; the most energy-efficient ones, however, are
constructed from cast aluminum,
which means a boost in energy ef-
ficiency from 87 percent with cast
iron to 90 percent with aluminum.
That might not seem like
much, but it will likely make a dif-
ference over years of energy bills
— and it looks cool too. Known as
“modulating/condensing,” or “mod/
con” products, these super boilers
not only take care of energy-effi-
cient heat transfer, they’re also a lot
smaller, which means your boiler
isn’t taking up that closet you
wanted to use as hobby storage.
“You can do a lot more in a
smaller space with these,” says
Ken Niemi of Burnham Hydronics,
a manufacturer of several new
mod/con boiler products. “Beyond
energy efficiency, customers
are looking for smaller size
and aesthetics.”
02naturalLiving ❙ Fall-Winter
INSIDE
In Every Issue
03 a natural fit
Learn how high-efficiency heaters and boilers
can translate into big savings.
04 natural choices
Want to reduce your utility bills? Find out how
radiant floor heaters, snow-melt systems and
blue-flame space heaters can help. Plus, what
you should know about water heaters and
backup generators.
07 naturally better
Learn how desiccants can improve air quality
and help your family breath easier.
16 naturally good
Try these surprisingly simple recipes for
great-tasting food cooked over natural gas.
FEATURES
08 From the Hearth
Find out how natural gas fireplaces,
stoves and logsets can add warmth and
comfort to your home.
12 Now You’re Cooking!
Discover the benefits of cooking with
natural gas — and see some of the latest
ranges from a variety of manufacturers.
naturalLiving
is a free publication brought to you by Energy
Solutions Center, published in cooperation with PRISM Media Group.
naturalLiving
is published twice annually by PRISM Media Group, 1321 Valwood
Pkwy., Ste. 600, Carrollton, TX 75006. Visit PRISM Media Group on the Web at
www.prismb2bmedia.com. No part of this publication may be reprinted without
permission. Copyright 2007 Energy Solutions Center.
PRISM Media Group
President: Ray Larson
COO: Virginia Larson
CFO: Jim Heffel
Editorial Director: Mario Medina
Production Manager: Shannon Thornton
Graphic Design: Cindy Pater, Barbara Sutton
The latest high-efficiency boilers
are sleeker and smaller than in
the past, meaning homeowners
don’t necessarily need utility
rooms to hide unsightly equip-
ment.
Photo courtesy of Burnham.