The purchase of any appliance for your Berkley or Birmingham home should be done with both your wallet and the environment in mind. Goals for every homeowner must include upgrading major appliances like the water heater to models that use as little energy as possible. This not only saves money, it reduces emissions that harm the atmosphere. Manufacturers, in conjunction with government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy, have created rating systems to help consumers shop smart. Energy factor is one of those ratings.
What Is Energy Factor?
Energy factor, or EF, is the rating system found on all formats of water heaters including tank storage, demand and heat pump. EF takes the useful energy and compares it to the total energy produced. In other words, how much hot water does the heater create for each unit of fuel with average usage? Some of the energy produced by the appliance gets lost before it reaches the water. There will be additional waste with tank storage and water circulation. EF takes the waste and deducts it from the total energy to determine what amount actually goes into heating water.
What EF Do I Want?
The higher the EF, the more efficient the unit, but it is only one criterion to consider when purchasing a water heater. Theoretically, a high EF indicates more efficient energy usage. The U.S. Department of Energy suggests you need to think about the size of the appliance, fuel type, cost and first hour rating, which determines the gallons of hot water a heater creates in an hour. All these things should be considered together when attempting to determine the right heater for your home.
The advancements in technology have given homeowners more options than ever for energy-efficient appliances. Instead the traditional tank storage water heater, it might be time to consider a tankless unit or geothermal appliance.
When you need to replace the water heater, contact us for help making the smart and money-saving choice. Aladdin Heating & Cooling been serving West Bloomfield, Commerce Township and the greater Detroit area since 1945.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about water heaters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Aladdin Heating services Novi, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Oak Park, Ferndale, Beverly Hills, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Twp., Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Madison Heights, Clawson, Sterling Heights, Warren, Troy, St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Detroit, Utica, Shelby Twp., Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Lake Orion, Oxford, and Clarkston. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!