Efficiency... who cares ??

Alpine Heating and Cooling • September 30, 2020

A large percentage of a home’s energy bills are attributed to the central heating and cooling costs. One way most people never consider to save money on their energy bills is the efficiency of their central heating and cooling system. Energy-efficient equipment can lower your energy bills far more than most customers think. Taking a few minutes to understand efficiency ratings for your furnace and air conditioner can help you make wise decisions and potentially put some cash back in your pocket.


We’ll start on furnaces. AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) measures a gas furnace's efficiency in converting fuel to heat. A furnace that has an 85% AFUE rating turns 85 percent of the energy it uses into heat. The other 15% is “lost” during the heating process. A higher AFUE rating obviously means a more efficient system.


The minimum AFUE for newer furnaces is 78%. A middle of the road furnace usually has an AFUE rating between 80 and 85 percent. A high-efficiency unit has a rating between 90 and 97 percent.


Next we’ll cover Air Conditioners. SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating is the ratio of the cooling output of an air conditioner over a summer, divided by the energy it used in Watt-Hours.



Modern air conditioners have a SEER value ranging from 13 -25 SEER. The higher the SEER, the less electricity your air conditioner or heat pump needs to cool your home. Here is a link to a calculator that you can customize to get an idea of the savings you can expect by moving to a more efficient system. https://www.lennox.com/buyers-guide/tools/energy-savings-calculator

Upgrading to high-efficiency units requires an initial investment, the investment will pay itself off multiple times over the life of your unit.

For assistance in choosing your next central heating and cooling system or to schedule a service appointment for your current system please contact our office at Alpine Heating & Cooling via one of the below methods.


September 9, 2026
Have you ever walked into your house after being gone for a few hours and noticed that it just smells a little… stale? It’s not always a sign that something is wrong. Sometimes your home simply needs a little more fresh air. Modern homes are built much tighter than older houses, which is great for energy efficiency, but it also means odors and moisture can hang around longer. Cooking smells, pets, cleaning products, candles, furniture, paint, and everyday household products can all affect indoor air. Humidity plays a big part too. When indoor humidity stays too high, the air can feel heavy or musty. When it gets too dry, the house may feel uncomfortable in a completely different way. Your HVAC system can help keep air moving and filtered, but the filter has to be clean and the system still needs adequate airflow. In some homes, better ventilation or indoor air quality equipment can also make a noticeable difference. Of course, sometimes the easiest solution is the simplest one: on a nice Ohio day, open a few windows and let the house air out. If your home constantly feels stuffy, musty, or just never seems to smell fresh, it may be worth looking at more than the air freshener. The problem could be humidity, airflow, filtration, or ventilation. At Alpine Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Refrigeration, we can help you figure out what’s going on behind the scenes so your home doesn’t just feel comfortable—it feels fresh too  Wooster: (330) 263.0013 Ashland: (419) 289.1616 Mt. Eaton (330) 359.7114 CONTACT US Serving Wooster, Ashland & Mt. Eaton, and surrounding communities since 1993, we are a locally owned and operated HVAC contractor working with a variety of heating , cooling , refrigeration & plumbing systems. If you need service on your current system please give us a call and we'd be glad to begin the process of evaluating your needs along with your budget and coming up with a game plan for your heating, cooling & air quality needs.
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