When the time came for us to choose a new gas furnace for our home the choices were almost overwhelming.
Is your ten-year old furnace not working properly and you have cold instead of hot air blowing through the house? Or do you have hot air, but it is not evenly distributed? Is winter coming and you have a furnace which takes longer than it should to warm up a house? Perhaps it is time to look into installing a high efficiency gas furnace to iron out your problems. Have you heard of AFUE? Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency is a guideline set by the US Department of Energy. AFUE “attempts to represent the actual, season-long, average efficiency of that piece of equipment, including the operating transients”. What this means for the homeowner is a much more accurate picture of operating costs when installing a Goodman gas furnace.
If your present gas furnace is fifteen years old, the AFUE is likely around 65%. If you’re looking for the best gas furnace for your home you should start with an AFUE of at least 90%. The difference between high and standard efficiency are the AFUE ratings. The EPA requires furnaces manufactured today to have at least a 78% AFUE. The Goodman high-efficiency furnaces have an AFUE from between 80% up to 95%.
Goodman has been building quality heating equipment since 1982, and given its three-decade experience in the heating and cooling business, one can almost be assured that their heating systems meet the highest industry standards. They claim that their units are installed by some of the best and most experienced professionals in the industry, and also boast to have the best warranties in the business.
The GMVC95 Goodman gas furnace, for instance, has an up to 96% AFUE performance with multi-position installation two-stage, variable speeds with ComfortNet, and is covered by one of the best warranties in the indoor home comfort industry. In addition to covering the heat exchanger with a Lifetime Limited Warranty to the original registered owner, if the heat exchanger fails during the first ten years, it will be replaced for as long as you own your home. There are eleven units to choose from, starting with an 80% AFUE up to a 95% AFUE. Goodman offers multi-position variable speed models, down-flow multi-speed models, as well as multi-position dual saver models, offering high as well as standard-efficiency Goodman gas furnaces.
Some of the special features of the GMVC95 Goodman furnace include a quiet, two-speed induced draft blower, aluminized-steel, dual-diameter tubular heat exchanger, efficient, quiet, variable-speed circulator motor, durable 10-volt Silicon Nitride Igniter, electronic control board with self-diagnostics, auto comfort mode for enhanced dehumidification. This Goodman gas furnace has an AFUE rating of 95% which means that 95 cents of every $1 of heating energy expense warms your home.
The GMV95, GCV9, GMH95, and the GKS9 Goodman furnaces are super-efficient two-stage condensing gas furnaces that will save money in the long run. There are also warranties which have been mentioned above.
Things you should know before hiring and installing a unit
- Have the right installer. Some problems with gas furnaces are sometimes due to poor installation. Problems caused by shoddy installation are not covered by manufacturer warranty. Get several estimates, and ask the right questions. You are interested in super efficiency, noiseless performance, and even heat distribution throughout the house. Ask for references.
- Talk with friends or family who have had gas furnace installation in their home recently. Contact the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any complaints. Ask if your contractor is certified by the North American Technician Excellence Association (NATE).
- Get three competitive bids; a high-bid and a low bid and determine the cost differences between them. Ask each bidder for an estimate for a budget system of high reliability, and another bid for a high efficiency unit. Request written detailed items and ask that the AFUE rate be included.
- Do a projection of annual fuel savings of the high-efficiency model and compare it with a low-end model. Even though the budget model might do substantially better than what you have now, use your actual fuel consumption for a conservative baseline.
- With a high efficiency Goodman gas furnace you have significant savings on utility bills, noiseless performance, and a home that is comfortable. By reducing your energy consumption, efficient home heating systems also reduce pollution and protect the earth from the effects of global warming. Your decision to go with a high-efficiency unit will contribute to a cleaner environment, and in time you will also recoup what you have paid for the unit.
- Efficient furnaces don’t need to operate for as many hours to provide the required heat. What this means is that time when flames are present are reduced. Insurance companies have accepted this as a benefit in terms of improved fire safety.
- Base your decision on sound information, and don’t wait for winter to come before you do something.
