What is size of existing furnace?

What is your location?

Post back and I will give you opinion in choices.

IMO

I believe the existing furnace is 130,000 BTU (original to the house, so approximately 49 years old) and I'm located in Kansas.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Any plans on AC?

Any particular issues with existing furnace/heating?

Where will new furnace be located?

Post back.

IMO

Thanks for the followup. The AC unit is 2.5 tons and is less than 10 years old, so I'm trying to avoid replacing both at one time.

The only real issues are keeping a consistent temperature in the rooms furthest from the furnace (located at one end of the basement). They're consistently a few degrees warmer/cooler than the main rooms in the house.

Thanks again

I will make the assumption that 60 KBTU furnace at 90+% eff is correct size.

I would not purchase a new furnace that did not have at a minimum a high eff ECM blower motor.

I don't like either of the Carrier furnaces, both low end models with conventional blower motors.

Same is true with AmStd furnace which is same as Trane's XR95.

I am not rally familiar with the AIr Flow brand but it is two stage heating and has var speed blower motor. And of course the most expensive.

What exactly are you looking for? I can make some suggestions if interested.

IMO

Definitely interested in suggestions, I'm struggling justifying anything other than the 80% furnace based on the breakeven of the more expensive units (ranges from 7-13 years).

Is that crazy? Budget-wise, I can do any of them, but looking at it purely from an investment perspective, I'm having trouble justifying it.

That said, I plan to stay in the home indefinitely and, at some point in the next decade, will have to expand the home by 1000+ sq feet (at which point, I'll have to add another set of units).

Any more thoughts?

If you plan to live in the house past the break even point of a higher efficiency furnace then why are you struggling with the decision?

On the regular vs high efficiency thing, just looking at it from a numbers perspective, it seems like the ROI isn't necessarily there. If the average lifespan of the modern furnace is 15-20 years and it'll take 13 to break even, it's not necessarily a compelling argument (for me at least) to make the initial investment.

That said, if foregoing the HE option is ludacrous, I'd love to hear why. I'm getting one more bid today, so I'll ask for options containing a HE blower motor.

Thanks again, guys.

Well, if you are strictly bottom end fishing, then consider the low end Carrier option 1.With the high eff blower motor, you will get a higher SEER from existing AC pls it gives you the option of a 15-16 SEER condenser in the future when you upgrade. Pls there is the added benefit of quiet. You close those options out with furnaces that have conventional blower motors.

I would recommend the AmStd equivalent to Trane's XT95.

I would recommend Carrier's 59SP5 or the two stage equivalent 59TP5.

IMO

Not necessarily, I'm happy to spend more for the added benefit. It sounds like no matter what I go with, you're strongly suggesting a high eff blower motor, so I'm making that a must-have.

Are you familiar with Lennox at all? The Aire-Flo I listed above is apparently the same as the Lennox EL195E with variable speed and 2-stage burner. For the money, is that a decent unit?

Any other suggestions? Thanks again guys, it's amazing to have informed people answer questions that aren't trying to sell you something.

Not a fan of Lennox.

The Air Flow model is a high eff two stage furnace with var speed blower.

Similar model in the Lennox line would be EL296V furnace.

IMO

Don't mean to bore you but want to educate you on the distinction between a high eff blower motor and a var speed blower motor.

The high eff blower motor is a fixed speed motor that has high eff over conventional blower motors.

The var speed blower motor is also high efficient but has a ramp up profile.

Both are very quiet.

The major benefit of the var speed blower motors in either furnaces or air handlers is improved dehumidification when in AC mode. And of course the var speed model furnaces are two stage models. The var speed blower motor along with the two stage furnace would make it more expensive.

IMO

I'll take any information you're willing to share, I appreciate it. If you don't mind me asking, why are you not a Lennox fan?

3 of the 5 bids I've gotten are spec'ing Lennox, just curious of your thoughts? Also, what you WOULD recommend.

There are the big three major brands. Carrier, Trane with their sister companies Bryant and AmStd plus Lennox. I would rank Lennox a distant third in comparison.

Just My Opinion

A good furnace which is properly sized and installed should last at least 20 years.

When you move up to the 95%+ furnace efficiency you qualify for a tax credit and possible local utility rebates. Have you factored that into the return on investment calculation?

Do you know what is your average annual heating costs? I find many people who seek advice on buying more efficient equipment don't know how much they spend on energy.

Is that the $150 tax credit? My local utilities don't offer any incentives currently.

As for annual heating costs, last year's total was $850. So, moving up to an 80% unit (assuming mine is 60%), it's a savings of $212/year. Moving to a 95%, it's a savings of $313/year.

Assuming a $1000 up front cost difference between the 80 and 95%, the break even is about 10 years, no?

I believe the tax credit is $150 for a 95%+ gas furnace.

If you subtract the $150 from the $1000 the result is $850. The break even would then be 8.5 years assuming a $100 a year savings is correct. The break even point moves closer in time as energy prices go up.

Got an additional quote for Lennox equipment, it seems to be what most around me are spec'ing. Price-wise, it's the best I've seen and I trust their ability to install the equipment based on reputation and referrals.

Based on the conversation here and pricing it all out, I'm going the high efficiency route.

That said, can someone clarify the difference between a "ECM Multiple Speed Blower" (spec'd with EL195UH0707XE36B) and "2-stage Furnace Variable Speed Blower" (spec'd with EL296UH070XV36)?

@tigerdunes, is the "ECM Multiple Speed Blower" a high efficiency blower motor like you've been recommending?

Guy gave me three quotes, strongly considering going with option 1. Options below.

Option 1:

One Lennox Model EL195UH070XE36B 95% Furnace ECM Multiple Speed Blower

$ 2,500.00

Option 2:

Replace furnace using ML195UH070XP36B Standard Multiple Speed Blower

$2,170.00

Note: Either furnace above qualifies for a $150.00 Federal Tax Credit

Option 3:

One Lennox Model EL296UH070XV36 2-Stage Furnace Variable Speed Blower

$3,390.00

Note: The above furnace qualifies for a $200.00 Federal Tax Credit
Note: The above furnace qualifies for a $100.00 Factory mail-in rebate

Any of the above options include:
- Honeywell Model Pro 6000 (I already have a Honeywell Vision Pro 8000, so this is a moot point)
- Air Bear Filter Mounted in Fabricated Housing
- Chimney liner for water heater $425

Any additional thoughts? Thanks again, guys.

Still don't care forLennox brand compared to Carrier and Trane and their sister companies.

I thought I already addressed the difference between high eff var speed blower motors and high eff fixed speed blower motors.

The three Lennox furnaces that you should consider are the following:

1. EL296V
2. EL296E
3. EL195E

I suggest you go to Lennox website for furnaces and use comparison feature for these furnaces.

And if you elect a two stage model, you need a two stage thermostat that controls staging based on demand, not the timer on control board that will give you high stage whether needed or not. Yes, a big deal.

IMO

Here is a link that might be useful: Lennox furnaces