Why Is A High Efficiency Furnace Important?

                                                          




High efficiency furnaces convert more than 90% of the fuel burnt in them into actual heat for the home. This means that these furnaces will burn 35% to 50% less fuel than older furnaces of 60% or lower efficiency. Obviously the fuel bill for these furnaces is much lower than for the old low efficiency furnaces. Not only that but the high efficiency furnace reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by up to 50% also. This is extremely important since these gases are believed to be responsible at least in part for climate change and global warming. The USA is at present the worlds second highest contributor (just behind China) to greenhouse gas emissions. Here is some data from  Wikipedia  on the subject.

Since about 1750 human activity has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Measured atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are currently 100 ppm higher than pre-industrial levels.[40] Natural sources of carbon dioxide are more than 20 times greater than sources due to human activity,[41] but over periods longer than a few years natural sources are closely balanced by natural sinks, mainly photosynthesis of carbon compounds by plants and marine plankton. As a result of this balance, the atmospheric mole fraction of carbon dioxide remained between 260 and 280 parts per million for the 10,000 years between the end of the last glacial maximum and the start of the industrial era.[42]
It is likely that anthropogenic warming, such as that due to elevated greenhouse gas levels, has had a discernible influence on many physical and biological systems. Warming is projected to affect various issues such as freshwater resources, industry, food and health.[43]
The main sources of greenhouse gases due to human activity are:
burning of fossil fuels and deforestation leading to higher carbon dioxide concentrations in the air. Land use change (mainly deforestation in the tropics) account for up to one third of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions.[42]
livestock enteric fermentation and manure management,[44] paddy rice farming, land use and wetland changes, pipeline losses, and covered vented landfill emissions leading to higher methane atmospheric concentrations. Many of the newer style fully vented septic systems that enhance and target the fermentation process also are sources of atmospheric methane.
use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in refrigeration systems, and use of CFCs and halons in fire suppression systems and manufacturing processes.
agricultural activities, including the use of fertilizers, that lead to higher nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations.
The seven sources of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion are (with percentage contributions for 2000–2004):[45]


Seven main fossil fuel
combustion sources Contribution(%)


Liquid fuels (e.g., gasoline, fuel oil) 36 %
Solid fuels (e.g., coal) 35 %
Gaseous fuels (e.g., natural gas) 20 %
Cement production 3 %
Flaring gas industrially and at wells < 1 %
Non-fuel hydrocarbons < 1 %
"International bunker fuels" of transport
not included in national inventories 4 %
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks the major greenhouse gas contributing end-user sectors in the following order: industrial, transportation, residential, commercial and agricultural.[46] Major sources of an individual's greenhouse gas include home heating and cooling, electricity consumption, and transportation. Corresponding conservation measures are improving home building insulation, installing geothermal heat pumps and compact fluorescent lamps, and choosing energy-efficient vehicles.
Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and three groups of fluorinated gases (sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, and PFCs) are the major greenhouse gases and the subject of the Kyoto Protocol, which came into force in 2005.[47]
Although CFCs are greenhouse gases, they are regulated by the Montreal Protocol, which was motivated by CFCs' contribution to ozone depletion rather than by their contribution to global warming. Note that ozone depletion has only a minor role in greenhouse warming though the two processes often are confused in the media.
On December 7, 2009, the US Environmental Protection Agency released its final findings on greenhouse gases, declaring that "greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people". The finding applied to the same "six key well-mixed greenhouse gases" named in the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.[48][49]


Top emitters
In 2005, the world's top-20 emitters comprised 80% of total GHG emissions (PBL, 2010. See notes for the following table).[78] Tabulated below are the top-5 emitters for the year 2005 (MNP, 2007).[79] The second column is the country's or region's share of the global total of annual emissions. The third column is the country's or region's average annual per capita emissions, in tonnes of GHG per head of population:


Top-5 emitters for the year 2005


Country or region % of global total
annual emissions Tonnes of GHG
per capita


China (b) 17 %  5.8
United States (a) 16 % 24.1
European Union-27 (a) 11 % 10.6
Indonesia (c)  6 % 12.9
India  5 %  2.1
Table footnotes:
These values are for the GHG emissions from fossil fuel use and cement production. Calculations are for carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and gases containing fluorine (the F-gases HFCs, PFCs and SF6).
These estimates are subject to large uncertainties regarding CO2 emissions from deforestation; and the per country emissions of other GHGs (e.g., methane). There are also other large uncertainties which mean that small differences between countries are not significant. CO2 emissions from the decay of remaining biomass after biomass burning/deforestation are not included.
a Industrialised countries: official country data reported to UNFCCC.
b Excluding underground fires.
c Including an estimate of 2000 million tonnes CO2 from peat fires and decomposition of peat soils after draining. However, the uncertainty range is very large.

The above material is quoted from Wikipedia

The above figures clearly indicate that China, the USA and India must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to stabilize climate change and avoid disastrous global warming. Unfortunately all three countries refuse to participate in international agreements to reduce emissions.This makes it all the more important for individual consumers to reduce their emissions as much as possible. Installation of a high efficiency furnace is a good start to this. Go to our website at  gas furnace costs  for more information and also at
   high efficiency furnaces.

                                               

High Efficiency Furnaces Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Most of us are aware that burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas or coal generates waste gases which are emitted into the atmosphere. It is believed by many scientists that these emissions are largely responsible for the climate changes which are presently underway. there is another school of thought which says that climate changes have been continual over the course of geological time and that the present global warming is a natural occurrence which would take place even if we do not emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

It is undoubtedly true that vast climate changes have happened regularly over the milennia. However there is little doubt that even if our greenhpuse gas emissions are not the primary reason for global warming they are certainly contributing to global warming and speeding it up. For this reason many of us want to cut our impact on the atmosphere by reducing our "carbon footprint" as it is often called. Installing a high efficiency gas furnace is one way to make a big cut in the emissions we contribute to the problem. Here is a document published by the  United States Environmental Protection Agency  which discusses the problem of greenhouse gases:

Natural Gas
Electricity Generation Technologies
Natural Gas
Coal
Oil
Nuclear Energy
Municipal Solid Waste
Hydroelectricity
Non-Hydroelectric Renewable Energy


Electricity from Natural Gas
Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed when layers of buried plants and animals are exposed to intense heat and pressure over thousands of years. The energy that the plants and animals originally obtained from the sun is stored in the form of carbon in natural gas. Natural gas is combusted to generate electricity, enabling this stored energy to be transformed into usable power. Natural gas is a nonrenewable resource because it cannot be replenished on a human time frame.
The natural gas power production process begins with the extraction of natural gas, continues with its treatment and transport to the power plants, and ends with its combustion in boilers and turbines to generate electricity.
Initially, wells are drilled into the ground to remove the natural gas. After the natural gas is extracted, it is treated at gas plants to remove impurities such as hydrogen sulfide, helium, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and moisture. Pipelines then transport the natural gas from the gas plants to power plants.
Power plants use several methods to convert gas to electricity. One method is to burn the gas in a boiler to produce steam, which is then used by a steam turbine to generate electricity. A more common approach is to burn the gas in a combustion turbine to generate electricity.
Another technology, that is growing in popularity is to burn the natural gas in a combustion turbine and use the hot combustion turbine exhaust to make steam to drive a steam turbine. This technology is called "combined cycle" and achieves a higher efficiency by using the same fuel source twice.
Environmental Impacts
Although power plants are regulated by federal and state laws to protect human health and the environment, there is a wide variation of environmental impacts associated with power generation technologies.
The purpose of the following section is to give consumers a better idea of the specific air, water, and solid waste releases associated with natural gas-fired generation.
Air Emissions
At the power plant, the burning of natural gas produces nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide, but in lower quantities than burning coal or oil. Methane, a primary component of natural gas and a greenhouse gas, can also be emitted into the air when natural gas is not burned completely. Similarly, methane can be emitted as the result of leaks and losses during transportation. Emissions of sulfur dioxide and mercury compoundsfrom burning natural gas are negligible.
The average emissions rates in the United States from natural gas-fired generation are: 1135 lbs/MWh of carbon dioxide, 0.1 lbs/MWh of sulfur dioxide, and 1.7 lbs/MWh of nitrogen oxides.1 Compared to the average air emissions from coal-fired generation, natural gas produces half as much carbon dioxide, less than a third as much nitrogen oxides, and one percent as much sulfur oxides at the power plant.2 In addition, the process of extraction, treatment, and transport of the natural gas to the power plant generates additional emissions.
Water Resource Use
The burning of natural gas in combustion turbines requires very little water. However, natural gas-fired boiler and combined cycle systems do require water for cooling purposes. When power plants remove water from a lake or river, fish and other aquatic life can be killed, affecting animals and people who depend on these aquatic resources.
Water Discharges
Combustion turbines do not produce any water discharges. However, pollutants and heat build up in the water used in natural gas boilers and combined cycle systems. When these pollutants and heat reach certain levels, the water is often discharged into lakes or rivers. This discharge usually requires a permit and is monitored. For more information about these regulations, visit EPA's Office of Water Web site.
Solid Waste Generation
The use of natural gas to create electricity does not produce substantial amounts of solid waste.
Land Resource Use
The extraction of natural gas and the construction of natural gas power plants can destroy natural habitat for animals and plants. Possible land resource impacts include erosion, loss of soil productivity, and landslides.

The above material is reprinted from a document published by  The United States Environmental Protection agency

Clearly if we as individuals want to cut our "carbon footprint" by reducing the quantities of greenhouse gases we emit into the atmosphere, a high efficiency natural gas furnasce will be a good step in this direction. A furnace with 97% efficiency rating will use 35% to 50% less gas than an older furnace of 50% to 60% efficiency. Hence apart from saving money on our gas bills we are also saving our atmosphere from further pollution. For more information about high efficiency furnaces go to gas furnace prices and to  high efficiency furnaces