Furnaces
Last Updated: 09/30/19
Click to see brand name products that meet these requirements
A heating unit whose function is the combustion of fossil fuel for space heating with forced hot air. Unit must include burner(s), heat exchanger(s), blower(s) and connections to heating ducts.
Product Details
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Federal agencies are required by statute to purchase products as designated or specified under this program.
Federal agencies are required to purchase sustainable products and services meeting EPA’s Recommendations to the maximum extent practicable.
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Procurement Info
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Where to Buy
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Energy Star
Legal Requirements
Lists federal requirements related to the purchase of this item, including applicable Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requirements
Life Cycle Cost Savings
Life Cycle Costing (LCC) aims to quantify the financial impact of a product over its entire life cycle to assist consumers in making decisions that will save them money over the long term.
For most applications, energy-efficient furnaces have the lowest life-cycle cost. For example, EPA has estimated that an Energy Star-qualified gas furnace can save a typical user $995 in energy costs over the life of the furnace, while avoiding 15,325 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
An efficient product is cost effective when the energy costs saved over the life of the product exceed the additional upfront cost (if any) of the more efficient model. Energy Star considers both upfront costs and lifetime energy cost savings when setting required efficiency levels. Federal purchasers can assume that Energy Star-qualified products are life-cycle cost effective.
To calculate life cycle cost savings, explore these tools:
- On its Purchasing & Procurement page, Energy Star offers MS-Excel-based calculators to estimate how much money and energy you can save purchasing ENERGY STAR furnaces.
- NREL’s Levelized Cost of Energy Calculator can help estimate the cost of electricity as an input for your lifecycle cost calculations, accounting for both cost escalation and discount rates.
Guiding Principles
Contributes to meeting The Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings
Additional Guidance
Energy Star notes that different gas furnace efficiency requirements and labels are used for different regions of the country. Certified gas furnaces in the southern half of the U.S., where homes require less heat, will be labeled with a unique “U.S. South” ENERGY STAR logo. Certified gas furnaces in the northern half of the U.S. will be labeled with the standard ENERGY STAR logo.
The ENERGY STAR Most Efficient program identifies the most efficient products among those that qualify for the ENERGY STAR in particular product categories. Product categories were selected and recognition criteria were established to ensure that products that receive this recognition demonstrate efficiency performance that is truly exceptional, inspirational, or leading edge. There are Most Efficient criteria for furnaces.
As of April 21, 2017, Energy Star specification for Furnaces version 4.1 has been finalized. Furnace models previously certified to Version 4.0 are not affected by this change. Version 4.1 removes the furnace fan efficiency (“e”) requirement and replaces it with the requirement that all ENERGY STAR furnaces must be equipped with an electronically commutated fan motor (ECM), encompassing both constant torque and constant airflow designs.
- The specification includes: Products that meet the definition of a Residential Furnace as specified within version 4.1 certification with the exception of products listed as excluded. Only non-weatherized furnaces approved for residential installation are eligible.
- Excluded Products: Furnaces intended only for commercial installation and/or with a rating of 225,000 Btu per hour energy or higher are not eligible for ENERGY STAR. Weatherized furnaces are not eligible for ENERGY STAR.
Potential LEED Contributions
This product may contribute* toward points in multiple LEED v4 rating systems, including areas required for LEED v4 building certification. Primarily, the credits will apply in the Building Design and Construction (BD+C) and Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M) categories. This includes the specialty areas of: New Construction and Major Renovation, Existing Buildings, Core & Shell, Schools, Retail, Data Centers, Warehouse and Distribution Centers, Hospitality, and Healthcare. Specific credits are:
- Energy & Atmosphere - Optimize Energy Performance
* It is important to note that no products, individually or collectively, can guarantee a specific number of points for LEED Category credit. Each credit will need to be matched to the product by a certified professional.