Attic Furnace Need To Know

A furnace can suffer from a drop in energy efficiency if it s in an unconditioned space such as an attic.

Attic furnace need to know.

Finally you need to be aware that when you are installing a furnace in an attic you may be restricted to certain models. Attic furnaces are becoming more common in both residential and commercial buildings. In most codes this means an opening not fixed window to the outside. While the traditional spot to locate a residential furnace has been the basement there are many reasons why putting it in the attic is more convenient.

Since the staircase to the attic can act as a chimney for the fire to quickly spread it s necessary to have a secondary point of egress or exit. Attic furnaces save living space on main floors. The total drop in efficiency can be up to 35. Access opening and an unobstructed passage way to the appliance furnace in attic area must be provided and be adequate in size to allow removal of the largest appliance installed.

It should be easy to see that there are many potential drawbacks to consider when locating furnaces inside of an attic. Poor insulation is usually the culprit although if you enter the attic on sunny winter day your attic space can be warmed by the sun more than your furnace. Attic furnace appliance clear access opening dimensions are. The first and possibly most important thing is to make a commitment to yourself to change your hvac filters regularly.

Having your hvac system in your attic isn t dire though you ll need to do some work to keep your air conditioner or furnace system running as efficiently as possible. High efficiency furnaces aren t usually recommended for an attic. But you can get furnaces all the way up to 98 5 efficient which is listed on the product information as the afue annual fuel utilization efficiency rating. For homes built more recently that fold the attic into the home s thermal envelope the problems are less pronounced and you ll be better able to take advantage of the benefits such a location can offer.

Most of the issues that furnace might experience in an attic are due to extremely cold weather in this poorly insulated space. That means you have higher energy costs and less efficiency since you re blowing the air down instead of allowing it to rise naturally. Attics are the worst place to be in a fire because heat and fire rise rapidly. Many high efficiency furnaces are not recommended for attic installation and you may find that there is a drop in efficiency when the furnace is located in an unconditioned space like your attic.

Understand the efficiency math today s standard furnace is about 80 efficient meaning 20 percent of the fuel energy goes up the chimney.