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Furnaces are the most common residential heating system in the Unites States. Wisconsin’s cold climate makes a high efficiency furnace a good investment. Some of the features to look for are an AFUE of 90% or higher, multistage firing and an ECM fan blower motor.

AFUE: The Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) measures a furnace’s overall energy performance. The higher the AFUE, the more heat you get for your heating dollar. ENERGY STAR^® qualified oil and gas furnaces have AFUE ratings of 83% and 90%, or higher, making them up to 15% more efficient than standard models. An AFUE of 90% means that 90% of the energy in the fuel becomes heat for the home and the other 10% escapes up the chimney and elsewhere.

Multistage Firing: Your furnace must have enough capacity to meet your heating needs on the coldest day of winter. However, for most of the heating season your furnace will have more heating capacity than you need.

Unlike a furnace with single-stage firing that is either firing at full output or completely off, a furnace with multistage firing can selectively turn some burners off when the full furnace output is not needed. Multistage firing gives you the right size furnace for the majority of the heating season, and a reserve capacity to meet additional heating needs on really cold days or to recover from a temperature setback period.

ECM: Furnaces with an electronically commutated motor (ECM) have lower annual operating costs and can save you $40 to $300 per year depending on how you use the furnace fan. If your furnace is old, worn out, inefficient, or significantly oversized, the simplest solution is to replace it with a modern high efficiency model. Although older furnaces had efficiencies in the range of 56%–70%, modern conventional heating systems can achieve efficiencies as high as 97%, converting nearly all the fuel to useful heat for your home. Energy efficiency upgrades and a new high efficiency heating system can often cut your fuel bills and your furnace's pollution output in half.

Proper installation is important. Your new furnace must be installed properly to ensure that it operates safely and efficiently. The contractor should adjust the air flow so the furnace fan setting is matched to the ductwork and furnace characteristics. An improperly installed furnace can result in higher energy costs and a less comfortable home.

Flue Closure
If you have installed a high efficiency furnace or boiler and there is no other equipment vented through your chimney, the interior flue should be sealed off to reduce heat loss through the opening in the roof. By closing the flue, you will prevent warm air from escaping your house—increasing your comfort, and saving energy and money.

FAQs
This page contains a list of consumer questions we hear most often.

Cash-Back Rewards Available
Click on the link above to find out what Rewards are available for the purchase of select heating & cooling equipment. Eligibility for this program is determined by your electric utility service area. Please use the eligibility tool to see if you are eligible.

Find a Participating Contractor
Hundreds of heating and cooling contractors from all over Wisconsin have signed up to participate in the Efficient Heating & Cooling Program. Only participating contractors can offer these rewards, but non-participating contractors can still sign up. To see a list of participating contractors use our search tool found at the link above.