Energy Savings
All of today's Tempstar furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps meet or exceed Department of Energy minimum efficiency standards. In fact, Tempstar has a complete line-up of ultra-high efficiency products that exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Program minimum efficiency standards. Tempstar has a number of ultra-high efficiency products offering some of the highest efficiencies available today!
*Please see the product section for specific details.
- Department of Energy Measurements and Standards and What They Mean To You
- Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Program
- SEER
- AFUE
- HSPF
- Matching Systems
- Dual Fuel Energy Saving Systems
Department of Energy Measurements and Standards and What They Mean To You
The Department of Energy (DOE) setup a system to measure central heating and air conditioning efficiency performance. Today, you can easily use this information to help you in your system selection.
Your actual savings will depend on the weather in your area, utility costs, the energy efficiency of your home and your preferences for indoor temperatures. However, generally, in areas with lots of HOT temperatures or above average electric costs, you can benefit from a higher SEER cooling unit. Likewise in areas with lots of COLD temperatures or above average fuel costs, you usually benefit from a higher AFUE gas furnace.
In practical terms, you can compare annual operating costs of two cooling systems just by knowing their efficiency ratings.
Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Program
The Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated the Energy Star Program to promote use of energy efficient products.
International Comfort Products, LLC Corporation (USA), the manufacturer of Tempstar products, is a voluntary partner in the Energy Star Program.
Cooling - SEER:
Central air conditioners and heat pumps use the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio or SEER as the measurement. The higher the SEER, the greater the efficiency and the greater your energy savings potential.
DOE Minimum: 13 SEER
Energy Star Minimum: 14 SEER
Heating - AFUE:
Gas furnaces use the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency or AFUE. The higher the AFUE, the greater the efficiency and the greater your energy savings potential.
Because some of the heating potential of fuel is lost during furnace operation, no furnace is considered 100% energy efficient. The AFUE percentage tells you the amount of fuel burned that actually goes toward heating your home on an annual basis.
Prior to the 1992 federal government regulations, most gas furnaces were manufactured with standard efficiencies ranging from 60% to 78% AFUE. If you have one of these older units and replace it with a new Tempstar 90%+ AFUE, you can save as much as 40% on your utility bills!
DOE Minimum: 78% AFUE
Energy Star Minimum: 90% AFUE
Heating - HSPF:
Heat Pumps use the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor or HSPF as the measurement. The higher the HSPF, the greater the efficiency and the greater your energy savings potential.
DOE Minimum: 6.8 HSPF
Energy Star Minimum: 8 HSPF
Matching Systems
To help your new Tempstar installation achieve its maximum design efficiency, your Tempstar dealer follows our published recommendations for matching the various components required. For example, split system air conditioners include a condensing unit which is placed outside the home and an evaporator coil which is housed inside your home with either your furnace or air handler.
Your installing dealer must design your system taking special care to match the condensing unit selected to its corresponding evaporator coil. For any split system air conditioner to deliver rated efficiency and performance, both the outside condensing unit and the indoor coil must be matched. For example, if you install a new outdoor condensing unit, but don't update the indoor cooling coil, you will not achieve the maximum cooling energy efficiency.