Guide to Combustion Analysis and Fuel Efficiency

You can hardly pick up a paper or turn on the television today without hearing people talking GREEN, and the Greening of America. What are people talking about when they say GREEN? The issues at hand are the raising cost of energy, energy efficiency, performance and global warming. Purchasing new high efficient equipment will not necessarily reduce the cost of heating and cooling a home. Energy efficiency is not simply purchasing a new high SEER system, is is about proper installation to manufactures specifications. A quality installation will save energy and money. The Annualized Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating provides the consumer with a number that represents the percentage of fuel efficiency achievable by gas and oil fired furnaces and boilers. How can a HVACR service technician verify that they have properly installed or serviced a system the the manufacturers specified AFUE rating? This can only be accomplished through combustion analysis, an essential aspect of furnace and boiler efficiency . Combustion analysis should be performed when installing a new furnace or boiler and at regular interval. Combustion analysis is the measurement of a combustion systems flue gases to determine the completeness (efficiency) of the combustion process. Combustion analysis is only the first step in maximizing fuel efficiency. An HVACR service technician must understand the Air/Fuel ratio, and venting adjustments necessary to accomplish efficiency. Several companies manufacture combustion analysis test instruments, including, Fieldpiece, Bacharach, and Testo. Combustion analysis requires more than tools, it requires knowledge of the combustion process and how to use the instruments. To make certain that the HVACR service technician is properly trained in combustion analysis, renowned trainer and author Erik Rasmussen has written a new training manual titled "Combustion Analysis & Fuel Efficiency".