Home Heating Code Update in Denver-Boulder!
It’s no secret to homeowners around the Denver-Boulder metro area that furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, AC, and water heaters aren’t going down in price. Our team at Save Home Heat Company wishes it were different, and we do our best to provide competitive pricing and provide exceptional value to our customers.
In our industry, this pricing trend is chiefly due to increases in the cost of materials, labor, shipping, and related factors. Equally impactful, in the name of energy conservation and helping to protect the environment, periodic revisions to residential energy efficiency code have been pushing standards for these products upward into more efficient designs and more costly systems.
In this post, we’ll present an overview of the current state of affairs of two very popular products that we install throughout the year in replacement jobs: gas-fired forced air furnaces and hot water boilers. We’ll look at the minimum AFUE efficiency ratings required for these products for homes in the Boulder-Denver area, and highlight a couple of cities that our team has been tracking closely for several years.
Revisiting AFUE
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) is the key metric used to measure and compare the efficiency of central furnaces and boilers. Expressed as a percentage, AFUE measures how efficiently a heating system uses fuel over the course of the heating season. Essentially, this is done by comparing a heater’s total annual heating output to its total energy consumption during the same period. For example, in the case of a 90% AFUE rated furnace, 90% of the heat produced from burning natural gas or propane is delivered to the home, while 10% is lost as hot combustion gases exhausted to the outdoors.
Unlike the “thermal efficiency” rating, which measures a system’s performance without accounting for the inefficiencies of system startup and shutdown, or seasonal variations, the AFUE is a more realistic indicator of a heater’s overall efficiency. AFUE has become the accepted criteria for discussing boiler and furnace efficiency.
The AFUE rating of the gas furnaces and boilers that our team at Save Home Heat installs ranges between 80% and 99% AFUE, with the very highest efficiency ratings found in certain models of forced air furnaces. Hot water boilers aren’t very far behind. There is a broad selection of both moderate and high efficiency furnaces and boilers available from established, reputable manufacturers. In our central heating product line at Save Home Heat, you’ll see the names Lennox, Burnham, and Triangle Tube on a regular basis, along with others that help fill niche needs.
The Current National AFUE Standard for Gas Furnaces & Boilers
In the U.S., the national standard for residential gas furnaces and boilers sets a baseline for efficiency ratings, ensuring that new or replacement systems meet a minimum AFUE rating or higher. Currently, national code for residential, gas-fired hot water boilers requires that they must achieve at least an 84% AFUE efficiency rating, and code for gas forced air furnaces is 80% AFUE. Governmental writing (the Department of Energy) is already on the wall, indicating that 2028 will very likely be the year that a round of significant revisions will be coming nationwide.
In our area, however, the cities of Louisville and Superior have taken a proactive approach to their local efficiency codes. More on that below.
A Timeline of Furnace Efficiency Code Revisions
- The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975: Authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE) to periodically review and revise energy efficiency requirements for furnaces
- National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987: Set the minimum efficiency level for new furnaces at 78% AFUE, effective in 1992
- Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007: Raised the minimum efficiency level for new furnaces to 80% AFUE
- 2024: DOE Finalizes Residential Energy Efficiency Standards: The DOE has tentatively finalized new standards that will require residential gas furnaces to have a minimum AFUE rating of 95% or higher, starting in late 2028
Residential Boiler Standards
As mentioned above, the current efficiency standard for residential gas boilers is 84% AFUE. In 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) proposed amended standards that would require gas-fired boilers to meet a minimum efficiency of 95% AFUE. Industry sources are guessing that 2028 will also be the target year for these changes.
How Are Heating Efficiency Standards Currently Applied in Denver-Boulder?
At this time, nearly all municipalities in the Boulder-Denver metro area adhere to the current national energy efficiency standards when issuing building permits for residential heating replacements, remodels, or new construction projects. There are cases where installing a higher efficiency system may help expedite the new construction and remodel permitting process, but that varies from city to city.
While it appears that this current situation will remain unchanged until 2028, our team views it as a somewhat fluid situation – and then, of course, there’s the north Metro cities of Louisville and Superior.
Louisville and Superior: Raising the Bar on Efficiency Standards
In the Denver-Boulder area, Louisville and Superior still stand apart as cities who have already taken steps to increase efficiency standards in their municipalities. Their revisions cover a wide range of areas, of which heating systems are a part.
In Louisville, new or replacement residential gas boilers must be rated at least 90% AFUE, and gas furnaces at least 96% AFUE.
Similar to Louisville, Superior mandates 90% AFUE for gas hot water boilers with a heating capacity of less than 300,000 BTUs (virtually all residential size systems), and a 95% AFUE rating for gas furnaces with a capacity under 225,000 BTUs. While there may be options for attempting to obtain an exemption if a high efficiency installation is impractical due to specific challenges, these exceptions are typically difficult to secure. Our friendly advice is, don’t plan on it.
What Should Denver-Boulder Homeowners Be Thinking About?
For homeowners in the Denver-Boulder area, the evolving energy efficiency codes will have notable implications. In Superior and Louisville, code revisions have already phased out mid-efficiency replacement furnaces and boilers, so in those cities be prepared to invest in a high efficiency model. However, if you live elsewhere in the Metro area, you still have a wider range of equipment available, including some more affordable, moderate efficiency options. But keep in mind that time is getting short.
Popular Moderate Efficiency Furnace & Boiler Options
Outside of Superior and Louisville, if you’re currently thinking about replacing your furnace or boiler, but plan to move in the near future or are on a tight budget – or if your heating bills are consistently very modest – a moderate efficiency replacement heater might make more sense for your circumstances. There’s plenty of families in our market who match these criteria, and as a result, we still install plenty of 80% AFUE range equipment.
Our most popular moderate efficiency replacement furnace is the Lennox SL280V, which is rated 80% AFUE, features two-stage heating and a variable-speed main blower – it’s the quietest, most comfortable, moderate efficiency furnace you can buy!
For hot water heat, the ES2 and Series 2 boilers from Burnham are both great options in the mid-80% AFUE range. Whether it’s accomodating an existing venting system or closely matching the footprint of your existing boiler, Burnham boilers usually measure up!
Of course, it never hurts to consider high efficiency options, especially when you look at rebates that might be available from both Xcel Energy and manufacturers like Lennox. Combined high efficiency rebates can be substantial!
Heads Up, Boulder Homeowners! The Gas-Free Movement Has Arrived
In a recent update to Boulder regulations, on June 6th of this year the Boulder City Council unanimously passed a new energy conservation code, set to take effect on December 1, 2024. This reflects nationwide trends and is not unique to Boulder. Included in City of Boulder code for the first time, all new residential and commercial buildings will be required to be gas-free, with a few exceptions for commercial buildings, including those with commercial kitchens and laboratories. How long it will be before this expands to cover other residential appliances – if ever – is anybody’s guess. The move away from gas appliances continues.
Your Trusted Metro Boulder-Denver Team for Furnaces & Boilers
In the Denver-Boulder metro area, please reach out to our team at Save Home Heat today for trusted, expert advice that’s focused on your needs, your input, and your best interests. Replacement furnace and boiler installation quotes from our friendly comfort advisers are always highly informative, zero pressure, and free.
