A look at the most energy efficient types of ovens

One of the common reasons most people look to purchase a furnace is to improve the overall energy efficiency of the home. Inefficient furnaces have been seen on numerous occasions to lead to unnecessary heating costs. Older models especially tend to catch glitches from time to time, which not only makes them inefficient, but also makes these ovens extremely noisy and irritating. In such scenarios, it is certainly better to buy a new, energy-efficient oven emboldened with the latest technologies rather than invest in expensive repairs.

Finding a suitable oven for a home can be quite difficult nowadays with so many options that you have. Ovens require a large investment and therefore it is extremely vital to make sure that they work properly. The quality of the furnaces is measured in terms of their annual fuel utilization efficiency ratios. Among all the furnaces, high efficiency furnaces are the best of the lot with efficiency ratings of 95% or even higher. A conventional oven, on the other hand, comes with an efficiency rating of 60-65%. In practice, it has been found that a conventional oven with medium efficiency saves 20-25% of total heating costs while a high-efficiency oven can reduce total heating costs by 35-40%. All of these factors contribute to making high-efficiency heaters a fantastic purchase for every home.

Now, the two basic types of furnaces: high efficiency and conventional are sub-classified into 3 stages, including single stage, dual stage, and modulating. The problem with single stage ovens lies in the fact that regardless of your power requirement; it will always work at its maximum capacity. So it will never be a cost-effective option, especially when you need to run the furnace at a lower capacity. Conversely, a 2 stage furnace is more energy efficient as it operates in 2 stages with 65% capacity on stage 1 and full capacity on stage 2 depending on heating requirements.

Modulating furnaces are especially beneficial in cases where the required heat output falls between medium and high efficiency furnaces. Modulating furnaces generally operate at a fixed efficiency of around 65%. If used properly, a modulating furnace can reduce overall energy consumption by 75-80%. In addition, they come with a provision to improve the efficiency of the air conditioning by 15% by adding a variable speed fan that helps to reduce the ambient temperature by avoiding unnecessary air saturation in the rooms.

Lastly, to ensure that the furnace runs smoothly, care must be taken to ensure that the furnace is regularly maintained. Sitting around and waiting for something to go wrong is never a good idea, as such mistakes are not only going to be detrimental to the life of your oven, but will also cost you a lot more money to repair compared to regular maintenance.