At Maddox Residential & Commercial Services, we love furnaces! They provide us with the best comfort so we can sleep peacefully and play comfortably inside our home in the long cold months. But furnaces are more than that!
If you think you know everything about these heating systems, wait until you learn these ten furnace facts that will fascinate you!
1. Early Furnaces
“Hypocaust” is the earliest known central heating system which was developed by the ancient Romans. It pumps heated air through walls and floors.
2. The Meaning Of Furnace
The word furnace has Greek origins. It is derived from the Greek word ‘Fornax’ which means oven. In Canadian and American English, furnaces are used to heat residential and commercial properties. For British however, a furnace is used to melt ore.
3. Middle Ages
Furnaces have been forgotten for almost 1000 years after the fall of the Roman Empire. During those times, people used fireplaces to stay warm in the cold months.
4. Furnace Restoration
The revival of furnaces began in the 13th Century where the Cistercian monks used naturally flowing waters which are heated by furnaces to warm their abbeys.
5. What Is Your Furnace Using?
American households are heated primarily using natural gas or electricity. According to a government survey, 44% use natural gas, 38% use electricity, 8% use heating oil and 4% use wood sources. Some use dual sources, propane, and other heating bases.
6. Heating Cuts a Big Slice in your Budget
It may sound more of a depressing fact that a fun fact but almost 60% of your home energy costs go straight to heating your home. For comparison, your brain is only using 20% of your body’s energy. It’s very efficient!
7. What is an AFUE?
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating is the percentage of fuel that goes into heating your home rather than wasted. For instance, a furnace with a 90% AFUE rating uses 90% of energy in heating while 10% of its fuel is wasted.
8. Typical AFUE ratings
Gas-fired furnaces have an AFUE rating that ranges from 56-97%; oil-fired furnaces 80-89%, and coal-fired furnaces 45-60%.
9. Go Green Heating
Do you know that aside from furnaces, there are other eco-friendly heating systems that you can use? Take the case of a heating system powered by geothermal energy. It is an efficient heating unit that can bring you great savings and uncompromised comfort.
10. They DO require maintenance
Furnaces are robust units, but they also need regular maintenance to stay in good shape. That’s where you will need a professional HVAC company to provide you with a complete and reliable service.
See? There’s more to your furnace and home heating than the usual things you know. For more important HVAC information, please take time to visit our page. If you need professional services for your commercial and residential HVAC systems, feel free to call our experts at Maddox Residential & Commercial Services!
