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Greater Denver Premier Heating and Cooling Comfort Specialists. |
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General
Information About Ratings |
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Terms
like SEER, AFUE and HSPF are commonly used to describe efficiency
ratings in the indoor weather industry. Offering indoor weather
equipment that ranges from the minimum industry requirements
to the world's most totally energy efficient, your indoor weather
expert can help you choose the indoor weather equipment that's
right for you.
AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) is the standard
measurement of efficiency for gas and oil-fired furnaces. Given
in percentages, this number tells you how much of your fuel
is used to heat your home and how much fuel is simply wasted.
The higher the AFUE rating, the greater the efficiency. |
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SEER
(Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) is the measure of efficiency by
which the cooling process of air conditioners and heat pumps is rated.
The higher the SEER number, the greater the efficiency, which translates
into greater energy savings. Today, U.S. regulatory agencies require
all new models to have a 10.0 SEER rating or better. Trane's full
line of air conditioners offers SEER ratings of 10.0 to 16.1.
HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) is the efficiency
measurement used to gauge the efficiency of the heating mode of heat
pumps. Again, the higher the number, the greater the efficiency. Today's
models are required to have a 6.8 HSPF.
Bels Bels-the rating system by which sound is measured. The
bels scale is a logarithmic scale like the Richter scale...even a
small difference in rating can mean a significant difference in actual
sound. The higher the number, the greater the noise level. A diesel
truck 10 feet away is rated at 9.2 bels. The sound of a refrigerator
running is rated at 7.0 bels.
The truth behind those efficiency ratings How much efficiency
is enough? Depends on how fast you want your system to pay for itself.
12 SEER, 14 SEER, 80% AFUE, 90% AFUE - don't get too bumfuzzled by
trying to figure out where all the numbers come from. All you really
need to know is that these are relative measures of fuel economy --
SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) numbers for air conditioners,
or AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) for gas furnaces. In
simplest terms, the higher the number, the more heating or cooling
you'll get for your energy dollar.
As you shop around, use the numbers, not vague terms like "high efficiency"
or "super high efficiency," to really compare systems. Any air conditioner
or furnace on the market today can be called "high efficiency" compared
to the equipment of just a few years ago. What was called high efficiency
then -- say 9 SEER for an air conditioner or 70% for a gas furnace
-- wouldn't even be permitted on the market today!
Air conditioners:
10 SEER -- the minimum efficiency allowed by law for new central
air conditioning systems
11 or 12 SEER -- trade up to this level from your old system
and you'll probably be delighted at how much lower your electric bills
are
14 SEER plus -- pushing the upper limits of what's possible
with today's technology
Gas furnaces:
78% -- the legal minimum for new furnaces on the market today
80% -- another once-impossible degree of efficiency that means
drastically lower gas bills than you probably have with an old furnace
90-plus % -- currently the highest efficiency you'll find (but
we're working on it)
Usage and estimated related cost of operation:
Evaporative (swamp)
cooler - .....Wattage: 4800 450 hours/season.
.....130.95
Standard*
. A/C.........................Wattage:
5960 450 hours/season ..... 134.10
High efficiency .A/C...................Wattage:
4008 450
hours/season.........90.00
(Estimated Monthly Usage Costs @(5¢ per KWH)
Thermostatically Controlled Hot Water heater
Tub bath ................10 - 15 ..........12¢ - 20¢ .............30
baths .........$3.60 -$6.00
Shower ....................8 - 12 .........10¢ - 15¢ ..............30
showers ....$3.00 -$4.50
Baby bath ................5 .................6¢......................30
baby baths ...........$1.80
Meal Preparation ......3 ..................3¢......................
60 meals .................$1.80
Dishwashing - hand ..5 ..................6¢......................
90 times ..................$5.40
Dishwashing - automatic 10 - 15* ..12¢ - 20¢............... 30 loads
......$3.60 - $6.00
Clothes washing - automatic 18 ....23¢ ......................30 loads
..................$6.90
(Estimated MonthlyUsage Cost @(30 days) (5¢ per KWH)
Understanding Kilowatt Hours
Most of the electricity consumed in todays homes goes to operate our
major appliances and heating systems, with lighting and small appliances
consuming the rest.
The electric energy used in our homes is often the most expensive
form of energy we use. Since you pay for the amount of electricity
you use, reducing your energy usage will save you money. Also the
less energy we require, the less of an impact commercial electrical
generation will have on our environment.
The tables provided in this section show the estimated average monthly
energy usage, based on national averages. As consumption of electricity
varies from home to home, these averages may not be accurate for everyone,
but they do serve as a valuable guide.
Each table shows the estimated average monthly usage in kilowatt hours
(KWH) and the monthly operating costs based on a $0.05 per KWH charge.
You can easily adjust the figures to reflect your costs by checking
your utility bill (or contact your local utility) for your per kilowatt
hour (KWH) charge and multiplying by the monthly usage figures to
arrive at your costs.
Understanding Kilowatt Hours Electricity is billed to customers for
each kilowatt hour (KWH) used.
A kilowatt is 1000 watts.
A kilowatt hour is 1000 watts of electricity delivered to a customer
for one hour.
A good example is a 100 watt light bulb, left on for 10 hours:
100 watts x 10 hrs. = 1 KWH.
If you would like to calculate the energy usage of an appliance you
can use the following formula:
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TOTAL
COMFORT Heating and Cooling designs and sells central air conditioning
and heating systems for every size and type of home and light commercial
business within the greater Denver area and surrounding suburbs. So
whether you are building a new home, business or remodeling or just
replacing your furnace or central air conditioner, TOTAL COMFORT Heating
and Cooling can give you the most efficient, reliable and durable
products for your home.
As you journey through our web site you'll see why we say: It's
Hard To Stop a Trane. Please feel free to look through our site
for information on why Trane is the TOTAL COMFORT central air conditioner
for your home
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