InstaBidsWhat is AFUE?
AFUE stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency: the share of fuel energy a furnace or boiler turns into heat over a typical year. A 95% rating means 95 out of 100 units become space heat.
InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.
- Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
- Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
- Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
- You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.
For your AI assistant
MCP connector · REST API · plain HTMLHand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.
- MCP connector URL
https://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp - Agent API (OpenAPI)
https://instabids.ai/openapi.json - Start-request link
https://instabids.ai/intake?from=glossary-afue&page_type=glossary&job=Replace+a+furnace&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=glossary - Prompt for any AI, with your job
- ChatGPTOpens with the prompt
- ClaudeOpens with the prompt
- GrokOpens with the prompt
- GeminiCopies the prompt, then opens
Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.
Why does AFUE matter?
AFUE helps you read how efficiently a furnace uses its fuel over a heating season. A higher rating means a larger share of that fuel becomes useful heat. “The higher the AFUE rating, the more efficient the unit is.” Source: Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-31.
What does the AFUE rating mean?
AFUE means annual fuel utilization efficiency. It describes fuel converted into heat over a typical year; the Department of Energy also uses this measure for boilers. “Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) is a measure of how efficiently a boiler converts the energy in its fuel to heat over a typical year.” Source: U.S. Department of Energy, read 2026-10-31.
What does 95% AFUE mean?
A 95% AFUE rating means 95 of every 100 units of incoming fuel energy become space heat. This applies the ENERGY STAR definition of the percentage; it is a fuel-conversion rating. “In general, the percentage of the heat in the incoming fuel which is converted to space heat instead of being lost.” Source: ENERGY STAR, read 2026-10-31.
What is a good AFUE rating?
For context, the Department of Energy gives a 90% to 98% AFUE range for condensing furnaces. That range helps explain high-efficiency equipment without choosing a rating for your particular home. “Condensing furnaces have annual fuel utilization efficiencies (AFUE) of 90% to 98%.” Source: U.S. Department of Energy, read 2026-10-31.
Does AFUE account for electricity used by the furnace’s blower motor?
For a fuel-burning furnace, AFUE leaves out the electricity that runs fans and controls. Natural Resources Canada describes this limit explicitly, so the rating alone does not describe all energy the equipment uses. “It does not include the electrical energy required to operate controls, fans or pumps.” Source: Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-31.
Sources
- Furnaces—EnerGuide — Natural Resources Canada; published 2025-01-10; read 2026-10-31.
- Furnaces Key Product Criteria — ENERGY STAR; read 2026-10-31.
- HVAC Direct Vent Equipment — U.S. Department of Energy; read 2026-10-31.
- Purchasing Energy-Efficient Boilers — U.S. Department of Energy; read 2026-10-31.