Life Cycle Cost Estimate for an ENERGY STAR Qualified Gas Residential Furnace

This energy savings calculator was developed by the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE and is provided for estimating purposes only. Actual energy savings may vary based on use and other factors.

NOTE: This calculator is in the process of being updated for the revised ENERGY STAR furnace specification that went into effect on February 1, 2012. For more information on the new specification, visit http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=furnaces.pr_crit_furnaces

Enter your own values in the gray boxes or use our default values.
What fuel do you use to heat your home? Gas Rate ($/therm) What Census region do you live in? How large is your home? (in square feet) When was your home built? When was your existing furnace installed? Select 'New Unit' to compare new furnace options 2,500 Include only heated space $1.05

New ENERGY STAR Qualified Unit

Uninstalled Cost per Unit (estimated retail price) Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) Use with programmable Thermostat (Yes/No) $1,400 90%

New Conventional Unit

$1,100 78%

Thermostat Usage Guidelines You have selected the programmable thermostat option, your savings are calculated based on ENERGY STAR suggested thermostat usage shown in the link above, your actual savings may vary.

Annual and Life Cycle Costs and Savings for a Gas Furnace
ENERGY STAR Qualified Unit Annual Operating Costs*
Energy cost Energy Consumption (MMBTU) Energy Consumption (Therms) Maintenance cost $497 47 473 $0 $497 $573 55 546 $0 $573 $76 7 73 $0 $76

Conventional Unit

Savings with ENERGY STAR

Total Life Cycle Costs*

Operating costs (energy and maintenance) Energy costs Energy Consumption (MMBTU) Energy Consumption (Therms) Maintenance costs Purchase price

$6,287 $6,287 851 8,514 $0 $1,400 $7,687

$7,255 $7,255 982 9,824 $0 $1,100 $8,355 Simple payback of initial additional cost (years)

$967 $967 131 1,310 $0 -$300 $667

Total

3.9

* Annual costs exclude the initial purchase price. All costs, except initial cost, are discounted over the products' lifetime using a real discount rate of 4%. See "Assumptions" to change factors including the discount rate. A simple payback period of zero years means that the payback is immediate.

Summary of Benefits for a Gas Furnace

Initial cost difference Life cycle savings Net life cycle savings (life cycle savings - additional cost) Simple payback of additional cost (years) Life cycle energy saved (MMBtu) Life cycle air pollution reduction (lbs of CO2) Air pollution reduction equivalence (number of cars removed from the road for a year) Air pollution reduction equivalence (acres of forest) Savings as a percent of retail price

$300 $967 $667 3.9 131 15,325 1 1 48%

Assumptions for Furnace

Category Power
ENERGY STAR Qualified Unit Uninstalled Cost Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) for Gas Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) for Oil Lifetime (Gas) Lifetime (Oil) Lifetime of Selected Unit Conventional Unit Uninstalled Cost Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) Lifetime (Gas) Lifetime (Oil) Lifetime of Selected Unit Value Data Source

$1,400 90% 85% 18 years 17 years 18 years

See Table7 ENERGY STAR Specification ENERGY STAR Specification LBNL 2008 LBNL 2008 Selection

$1,100 78% 18 years 17 years 18 years

See Table 7 See Table 1 (Cell K16) LBNL 2008 LBNL 2008 Selection

Maintenance
Labor cost (per hour) Labor time (hours) $0 0 2,500 square feet If labor costs associated, please enter values here If labor costs associated, please enter values here http://www.census.gov/const/C25Ann/sftotalmedavgsqft.pdf

Conditioned Area Residential Space Heating Load

Selected City Heat Load by Construction Age (kBTU/SF/YR)

19.80 % of Regional Load 2.4 2.0 0.8 0.9 0.5 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.3 0.2 0.3 0.8 0.1 0.5 1.0 0.6 0.3 0.2 1.4 0.6 0.2 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.6 1.0 1.6 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.9 1.1 1.3 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.8 0.7 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.7 1.0 0.9 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.7 1.3 1.4 1.3 Savings Due to Programmable Thermostat

Calculated

Ratio of Heating Degree Days to Regional Average Heating Degree Day

ANCHORAGE, AK JUNEAU, AK BIRMINGHAM, AL HUNTSVILLE, AL MOBILE, AL FORT SMITH, AR LITTLE ROCK, AR NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR FLAGSTAFF, AZ PHOENIX, AZ TUCSON, AZ WINSLOW, AZ YUMA, AZ BAKERSFIELD, CA BISHOP, CA FRESNO, CA LONG BEACH, CA LOS ANGELES C.O., CA MOUNT SHASTA, CA SACRAMENTO, CA SAN DIEGO, CA SAN FRANCISCO C.O., CA SANTA BARBARA, CA SANTA MARIA, CA STOCKTON, CA EUREKA, CA. ALAMOSA, CO COLORADO SPRINGS, CO DENVER, CO GRAND JUNCTION, CO PUEBLO, CO BRIDGEPORT, CT HARTFORD, CT WASHINGTON, DC WILMINGTON, DE MIAMI, FL ORLANDO, FL TALLAHASSEE, FL ATLANTA, GA AUGUSTA, GA HONOLULU, HI DES MOINES, IA SIOUX CITY, IA BOISE, ID LEWISTON, ID CHICAGO, IL MOLINE, IL PEORIA, IL SPRINGFIELD, IL EVANSVILLE, IN FORT WAYNE, IN INDIANAPOLIS, IN SOUTH BEND, IN CONCORDIA, KS DODGE CITY, KS GOODLAND, KS TOPEKA, KS WICHITA, KS JACKSON, KY LEXINGTON, KY LOUISVILLE, KY

NOAA, 2007** Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated

Assumptions for Furnace

Category
PADUCAH, KY BATON ROUGE, LA LAKE CHARLES, LA NEW ORLEANS, LA SHREVEPORT, LA BOSTON, MA WORCESTER, MA BALTIMORE, MD PORTLAND, ME DETROIT, MI FLINT, MI GRAND RAPIDS, MI LANSING, MI DULUTH, MN MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL, MN SAINT CLOUD, MN COLUMBIA, MO KANSAS CITY, MO SPRINGFIELD, MO ST. LOUIS, MO JACKSON, MS MERIDIAN, MS BILLINGS, MT GREAT FALLS, MT HELENA, MT MISSOULA, MT ASHEVILLE, NC CHARLOTTE, NC RALEIGH, NC BISMARCK, ND FARGO, ND GRAND ISLAND, NE LINCOLN, NE OMAHA (NORTH), NE SCOTTSBLUFF, NE CONCORD, NH ATLANTIC CITY C.O., NJ NEWARK, NJ ALBUQUERQUE, NM CLAYTON, NM ROSWELL, NM LAS VEGAS, NV RENO, NV WINNEMUCCA, NV ALBANY, NY BINGHAMTON, NY BUFFALO, NY ISLIP, NY NEW YORK (JFK AIRPORT), NY SYRACUSE, NY AKRON, OH CINCINNATI, OH CLEVELAND, OH COLUMBUS, OH DAYTON, OH MANSFIELD, OH TOLEDO, OH YOUNGSTOWN, OH OKLAHOMA CITY, OK TULSA, OK ASTORIA, OR BURNS, OR EUGENE, OR MEDFORD, OR PENDLETON, OR PORTLAND, OR SALEM, OR SEXTON SUMMIT, OR ALLENTOWN, PA HARRISBURG, PA PHILADELPHIA, PA PITTSBURGH, PA WILLIAMSPORT, PA ERIE, PA. PROVIDENCE, RI COLUMBIA, SC HURON, SD RAPID CITY, SD SIOUX FALLS, SD BRISTOL-JHNSN CTY-KNGSPRT, TN CHATTANOOGA, TN KNOXVILLE, TN MEMPHIS, TN NASHVILLE, TN ABILENE, TX AMARILLO, TX AUSTIN/BERGSTROM, TX AUSTIN/CITY, TX BROWNSVILLE, TX Value 1.2 0.7 0.7 0.6 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.3 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.5 1.2 1.3 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.3 1.4 1.0 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 0.8 0.9 0.6 0.4 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 0.9 0.8 1.1 1.0 0.8 1.0 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.8 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.4 0.9 0.9 0.8 1.0 1.0 1.1 0.9 0.7 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.9 0.8 0.7 0.3 Data Source Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated

Assumptions for Furnace

Category
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX DALLAS-LOVE FIELD, TX DEL RIO, TX EL PASO, TX GALVESTON, TX HOUSTON, TX LUBBOCK, TX MIDLAND-ODESSA, TX PORT ARTHUR, TX SAN ANGELO, TX SAN ANTONIO, TX VICTORIA, TX WACO, TX WICHITA FALLS, TX MILFORD, UT SALT LAKE CITY, UT LYNCHBURG, VA NORFOLK, VA RICHMOND, VA ROANOKE, VA BURLINGTON, VT OLYMPIA, WA QUILLAYUTE, WA SEATTLE, WA SPOKANE, WA WALLA WALLA, WA YAKIMA, WA GREEN BAY, WI MADISON, WI MILWAUKEE, WI BECKLEY, WV CHARLESTON, WV ELKINS, WV HUNTINGTON, WV CHEYENNE, WY LANDER, WY SHERIDAN, WY Value 0.4 1.1 1.0 0.6 1.2 0.5 0.7 1.5 1.2 0.6 1.1 0.7 0.6 1.0 1.4 1.1 1.0 1.2 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.6 1.1 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.5 1.3 1.7 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 Data Source Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated Calculated

Programmable Thermostat Savings

Average Heating Savings in the Selected City 14.0% RLW Analytics ***

Discount Rate
Commercial and Residential Discount Rate (real) 4% A real discount rate of 4 percent is assumed, which is roughly equivalent to the nominal discount rate of 7 percent (4 percent real discount rate + 3 percent inflation rate).

Energy Conversions
Btus per Gallon of #2 oil Btu per Therm of Gas 138,690 Btu/gal 100,000 Btu/Therm EIA: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/pdf/pages/sec12_1.pdf : 5.825 million BTUS per barrel

Energy Prices
Residential Distillate Fuel Oil Price Commericial Distillate Fuel Oil Price Residential Price of # 2 Oil Commercial Price of # 2 Oil Residential Gas Price Commercial Gas Price $21.87 $19.25 $3.03 $2.67 $1.05 $0.93 /MMBtu /MMBtu /gallon /gallon /therm /therm US Department of Energy, Annual Energy Outlook 2011 (Early Release), (converted from 2009 to 2010 dollars), http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/er/ Calculated Calculated US Department of Energy, Annual Energy Outlook 2011 (Early Release), (converted from 2009 to 2010 dollars), http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/er/

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Factors

Oil CO2 Emission Factor Gas CO2 Factor 161.27 lbs CO2/MMBtu 117 lbs CO2/MMBtu EPA 2009 EPA 2011

Carbon Dioxide Equivalents

Annual CO2 sequestration per forested acre Annual CO2 emissions per average passenger car 10,347 lbs CO2/yr 11,244 lbs CO2/yr EPAs Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html