Atlanta days get hot during the summer, but it's the cold weather that is more likely to send your bills skyrocketing. A hidden fact about Atlanta most residents would be surprised to discover are more days that need a heater than ones that make you turn on the air conditioning.
Jeff Dinkle is president of Eco Custom Homes, an Atlanta-based company that does everything from renovating to constructing energy neutral "Net Zero" homes. "We need more heat than air conditioning in a given year, so it is better to spend the extra money on a 96 percent efficient furnace than upgrading from a, for example 15 SEER AC to a 20+ SEER unit."
Atlanta has an average of 2,667 heating degree days (HDD) and 2,050 cooling degree days (CDD) every year. HDDs are 30 percent more common.
Dinkle said that in 2014, those numbers were even higher, with 2,814 heating degree days and 2,088 cooling degree days in the Atlanta area.
"So we needed about 34 percent more heat than air condition," he said. "Logic says if a more energy efficient furnace is about $500 more and a more efficient HVAC is $4000 more, it makes more sense to buy a more efficient furnace."
Heating degree days happen when the house temperature falls beneath your thermostat's preferred temperature.
Companies calculate the number of heating and cooling degree days based on each day's average temperature. The formula assumes everyone keeps their thermostat at 65 degrees. If the day's average temperature is below 65, it's a heating day. If it's above 65, it's a cooling day. Thus, Atlanta has more days below 65 than above and requires more days of heating. (Read the data)
Bruce Kitchell is an energy auditor, heating and cooling expert and the president of Airedale Energy Consultants, LLC in Marietta. He agrees that a new heating unit is the way to go when trying to choose between a new heating or cooling unit.
"When thinking about replacing or purchasing a heater in Atlanta there are generally two options for heating," he said. "These options are either a gas furnace or a heat pump."
Kitchell said he prefers the heat pump for a number of reasons.
"One reason is because then you have just one system doing the heating and cooling so it is simpler."
Kitchell also cites the fact that current heat pump efficiency can deliver heat to very low outdoor temperatures, which he stressed has not always been the case.
"Heat pumps are more adaptive to heating conditions," Kitchell explained. "Variable speed compressors adjust the rate of heat delivery according to indoor and outdoor conditions."
Kitchell said too, that heat pumps are typically more efficient than gas furnaces. Since there is no combustion, normal combustion by-products are not produced.
"There is also no danger of carbon monoxide (CO) generation," he said. "Gas furnaces do not come in small ratings - smaller energy efficient homes would require using oversized gas furnaces."
Kitchell also suggested homeowners consider that 8.80 percent rated gas furnaces require combustion air to be brought in from outside, which is typical for low cost installations.
So from a bigger picture perspective a new heating unit or a unit that does double duty is going to end up saving a homeowner hundreds of dollars over the years.
"The price difference when replacing a heater is in the hundreds while an air conditioner upgrade will range in the thousands," Dinkle concluded.
About the Author
