Project Recommendations - Replace Heating and Air Conditioning Systems

Your heating and cooling system, also referred to as HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) involves several components that work together to make your home a comfortable place to live. The heating and cooling equipment, such as your furnace or air conditioner, conditions the air, bringing it to the desired temperature. Your home should also be insulated and properly ventilated to ensure that the conditioned air remains in your house when you want it to and exits when you want it to. In order to optimize the efficiency of the system and the comfort of your home, there are several measures to consider.

The following data reflect the incremental cost, including both labor and materials, and savings produced by installing the recommended energy-efficient measure on a typical 2,000 square foot house, compared with the minimum required by the International Energy Conservation Code or Federal Regulations.

Programmable Thermostat - Install an ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat.		$45		248 $/yr		0.2 years
Heating and Cooling System Tune-up - Have a professional tune up both your heating and cooling systems if they have not received a tune-up in the last year.		$208		252 $/yr		0.8 years
Central Air Conditioner- When replacing your CAC, consider an ENERGY STAR qualified model with a 12 SEER cooling efficiency.		93		61		1.5 years
Seal Air Leaks - Have a professional seal your home's air leaks. Typically, this reduces air leakage by 25%.		$483		243 $/yr		2 years
Gas Water Heater - When replacing your gas water heater, choose one with an EF of .62 or higher and a recovery efficiency of .76. Also consider going solar. The majority of states offer financial incentives for using solar technologies, increasing their cost effectiveness.		$70		24 $/yr		2.9 years
Insulate Walls - Insulate all exterior walls to R-13.		$648		77 $/yr		8.4 years
Seal Duct Leaks - Have your ducts professionally sealed to reduce leakage to the ENERGY STAR specification of 10% maximum.		$705		77 $/yr		9.1 years
Gas Furnace - When replacing your gas furnace, choose an ENERGY STAR labeled model with a minimum AFUE of 90.		$583		30 $/yr		19.4 years

Note: Cost, savings and payback data are representative of a typical building in your climate region. This information is provided as a realistic illustration of typical results; however, actual figures may vary based on your specific climate, building components, construction type, age, fuel type, etc. Users are encouraged to have an energy professional conduct a thorough energy audit for precise results.

View additional Earth Friendly Measures for your rehab project.

Provide specific inputs to Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory's Home Energy Saver on-line calculator to get a list of recommended whole house improvements and savings for your home. This link will take you off the Rehab Advisor site.

Be careful of lead and asbestos during your remodeling project.