We talk to many clients who aren’t sure what kind of heating and cooling system they have in their homes. There are two types of gas furnaces that are the most common in the Philadelphia area.
Chimney-Vented
This is the most obvious type of gas furnace that relies on a chimney to vent out your home. Chimney-vented furnaces have 80% AFUE, which means that most of the heat moves through your ducts, but 20% of that heat also moves up your chimney.
Direct-Vented
Instead of a chimney, these furnaces have 93% to 98% AFUE. These systems use an exhaust fan and PVC piping to vent air directly to the outside through your wall or roof.