furnace

New Gas Furnace Installation Costs: Top Brands, Reviews

The average cost of an installed gas furnace is $5,700 for an 80% efficiency furnace and $7,200 for a furnace of 90% or higher efficiency.

The total cost range of a new furnace installed is $4,000 to $10,500 based on size, efficiency, stages of heating and brand plus installation factors.

What’s here? Comprehensive new furnace pricing, top brands and Buying Guide that will make your purchase decision easier.

New Furnace Cost

Many homeowners getting new furnace price estimates are going to have sticker shock. The cost of a new furnace is much higher than it was a few years ago due to the factors we’re all familiar with – supply chain problems, labor shortages and inflation.

Efficiency Basic Better Best
80% $4,000 – $5,200 $4,500 – $6,300 $5,800 – $7,700
90% – 93% $4,400 – $5,700 $5,300 – $7,000 $6,600 – $8,800
94% – 96% $4,700 – $6,100 $5,800 – $7,500 $7,100 – $9,200
97% – 99% N/A $6,300 – $8,100 $7,700 – $10,500

Here is a general overview of basic, better, and best gas furnaces.

Basic: Single-stage heating. Single-speed or multispeed PSC standard-efficiency blower motor. Efficiency of 80% or 90% to 93%. Basic single stage thermostat.

Better: Two-stage heating. Efficient multispeed or variable-speed ECM blower motor. Efficiency of 80% or 93% to 97%. Requires 2-stage thermostat.

Best: Two-stage or variable capacity heating. Variable speed ECM blower motor. 80% or 94% to 99% efficiency. Optional communicating technology that shares information between system components to optimize efficiency and climate control (requires communicating thermostat).

Yes, some 80% furnaces belong in the “Best” category because they are high quality and equipped with a variable speed blower and other top climate control features.

80% efficiency or 90% and higher? Yes, those are your gas furnace efficiency options. All manufacturers make 80% AFUE/Annualized Fuel Utilization Efficiency furnaces with a single heat exchanger. Once you add a second heat exchanger that captures heat from exhaust gasses before it is lost, efficiency rises to 90% or higher.

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6 Worst Furnace Brands to Avoid and Why

Not all furnaces are made equal. You can find excellent products that offer accurate temperature control, indoor comfort, low noise levels, energy efficiency and reliability. However, there are also low-quality furnaces that lack these features, and they can give you many headaches over time.

source: mathewsplumbing.com

The following are some common issues you can expect when purchasing a low-quality furnace:

  • Excessive fuel consumption and high operating costs
  • High noise levels and strange sounds
  • Frequent breakdowns and expensive repairs
  • Poor temperature control (your home interior gets too cold or too warm)
  • Excessive airflow (your home interior becomes uncomfortable due to air drafts)
  • Complete system failure within a few years, forcing you to purchase a replacement

Using a low-quality furnace can also be dangerous. The flue gases released when burning fuels like natural gas or heating oil are lethal at high concentrations, and your furnace must be capable of always exhausting and venting them outdoors.

A malfunctioning furnace can release harmful gases inside your home, including carbon monoxide – a deadly substance for humans.

Here we will review six furnace brands you should avoid if you’re looking for a reliable space heating system. We will also discuss some general “red flags” to look out for when comparing different furnace models.

Comparing Furnaces? Watch Out for These Warning Signs

Right off the bat, a good furnace can look identical to a low-quality product. However, you can find important differences if you take the time for a detailed comparison. Here are some common “red flags” to keep in mind:

1) Avoid furnaces with short warranties. The best furnaces now come with a warranty coverage of 10 years or more. When a manufacturer offers a short warranty, they are probably aware that their furnaces are not built to last. For example, if you buy a furnace with a 3-year warranty, don’t expect a service life of 10 years!

2) Watch out for missing technical information. When a furnace offers features like low noise and energy efficiency, the manufacturer will want you to know. For this reason, you should be skeptical of any products that hide key information. The following are some examples:

  • If furnace specifications provide no information about noise levels in decibels, the unit is probably very noisy. They don’t want you to know until you have the unit installed at home.
  • If the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) value is not provided or hard to find, the unit is probably inefficient.

Missing or hard-to-find warranty documents are also a warning sign. There are also cases where the manufacturer provides a warranty that seems decent, but the terms and conditions are deceiving. Make sure you read the fine print.

3) Avoid furnaces with single-stage heating and/or single-speed fans. A high-performance furnace can control its heat output and airflow according to the heating needs of your home. This offers two benefits:

  • Your home interior becomes more comfortable (no overheating)
  • The furnace consumes less fuel and electricity, by not using its full capacity all the time

Furnaces that always run at full capacity waste energy, while potentially making your home uncomfortable. If a furnace is running at maximum BTU/hour output when the weather is mild, your home will be warmer than necessary. This also represents a waste of energy, driving up your heating bills.

For maximum energy efficiency, you should look for a furnace with variable heating output, also known as a modulating furnace. These furnaces can increase or decrease their output to match the exact heating needs of your home at any time. Two-stage furnaces are also viable if you’re looking for a more affordable (good value) option.

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