The 95% AFUE gas furnace standard (December 2028)
Final rule in effect; compliance from December 18, 2028. Petition to amend the compliance date open for comment (April 27, 2026).
DOE’s final rule of December 18, 2023 sets a minimum efficiency of 95.0% AFUE for non-weatherized gas furnaces and mobile home gas furnaces made in or imported into the US starting December 18, 2028. In practice that is a condensing furnace. In April 2026 DOE asked for comment on a petition from gas industry groups to amend that compliance date; no change to the date had been published when we checked.
What the rule says
Table I.1 of the rule lists 95.0% AFUE for both non-weatherized gas furnaces and mobile home gas furnaces, "Compliance Starting December 18, 2028." DOE did not adopt standby or off-mode power standards in this rule.
DOE estimated an average furnace lifetime of 21.5 years in its analysis.
Other furnace types
On October 18, 2024, DOE determined that standards for electric furnaces, oil-fired furnaces and weatherized gas furnaces do not need to be amended.
The 2026 petition
DOE received a petition on February 19, 2026 from the American Gas Association, the American Public Gas Association and the National Propane Gas Association asking it to amend the compliance dates for two final rules, including consumer furnaces. DOE requested comment through May 27, 2026.
What to do now
- If your furnace is non-condensing (metal flue pipe to a chimney), a future replacement may need new venting and a condensate drain; ask for that in quotes.
- Get the furnace age from its serial plate and add it to My Home.
Federal Register documents
- 2023-12-18FR Doc. 2023-25514 · Final rule: 95% AFUE for non-weatherized and mobile home gas furnaces from Dec 18, 2028.
- 2024-10-18FR Doc. 2024-23906 · Final determination: no amended standards for electric, oil and weatherized gas furnaces.
- 2026-04-27FR Doc. 2026-08145 · Notification of petition to amend compliance dates; request for comment.
A plain-language summary of public documents, not legal or tax advice. Rules in this area have changed several times since 2024; the dates above are the record. Report a change we missed.