FER

The Fan Energy Rating (FER) is a government regulated minimum airflow efficiency standard for residential furnace fans and gas packaged units.

What is FER?

Fan Energy Rating (FER) is a government regulated minimum airflow efficiency standard for residential furnace fans and gas packaged units. The FER rating system was developed to help improve energy efficiency in residential heating systems, while also improving indoor air quality by reducing pollutants such as dust and allergens that can be drawn into the home when the fan is running. This rating also helps homeowners save money on their energy bills by ensuring that their furnace or gas package unit is operating at an efficient level. 

To meet the FER requirements, your furnace fan must move a certain amount of air through your home’s ductwork at a specified rate of speed. The most common measurement used to determine this rate of speed is cubic feet per minute (CFM). In order for a furnace to be labeled as meeting the FER requirements, it must move at least 400 CFM of air for every watt of electricity consumed. This ensures that your system is operating in an energy efficient manner.

Additionally, your furnace fan must meet other requirements such as low sound levels and temperature rise rate. The overall goal with these requirements is to ensure that you are getting the most out of your heating system while still maintaining good indoor air quality and saving on energy costs.

What will FER standards accomplish?

The US Department of Energy (DOE) predicts the new standard for furnace fans will:

• Save approximately 3.99 quads of energy.
• Reduce carbon pollution by up to 34 million metric tons (equivalent to the electricity use of 4.7 million homes).
• Save Americans more than 9 billion in home electric bills through 2030.

How does this affect new Trane Furnaces?

Trane engineers made several new, efficiency-boosting alterations to our furnace lineup in order to ensure FER compliance. These alterations included a transition to all ECM blower motors, utilization of our exclusive VorticaTM II blower design, incorporation of higher horsepower motors, and larger blower housings to name a few. These changes can be seen throughout our FER-compliant S-Series lineup.

If you have any questions about whether or not your current furnace meets the FER requirements, contact a certified HVAC technician who can inspect and test your system in order to determine if it meets all of the necessary criteria. They will also be able to help you make any necessary upgrades or repairs in order to ensure that your furnace meets the FER requirements.