I got the furnace(Amer. Stdrd) basically at cost + instal/tax in for $2G which was a bargain....a variable speed would have upped that to $3G++ which I didn't think was worth it for the extra 2-3% efficiency.

My neighbour came over a few nights ago to borrow my portable ceramic heater because his Keeprite furnace crapped out(3 yrs new!!). It turned out to be something on the control panel screwed up and had to be replaced($300 under warranty). Also my neighbour's brother's furnace, not sure of make, needed a new motor after only a year!

I hope these new furnaces are reliable, otherwise who cares about saving on gas if they need replacing in half the time. My last furnace was near 20 yrs old and ran fine before I replaced it with a more efficient unit....I've heard of some people getting over 30 yrs out of their old furnaces.

Bump...

Here is a couple of pics of the HVAC system we got this year. It has been absolutely AMAZING. Worth every penny. First summer with AC...and in style.

We have a gas furnace from the original install in 1994.

We've seen a nice decrease in our Natural Gas bills lately due to the fact that bulk gas prices are way down due to the huge supplies that are coming online in North America due to good ole Fracking. As long as this is happening, these advertised monetary savings will not be realized over the short term. Great for us; however, governments don't like this as it cuts into their revenues hence contributing to higher deficits & debt.

A high efficiency furnace might make you feel greener though...

TAM

There's still a significant difference between ~80% and 90%+ especially larger the home is. I'd always pick something at least around 92-95% of course I have a friend that does HVAC and he doesn't over charge me for the actual furnace. The price difference between them really isn't all that significant but it seems the standard is to charge MUCH more for the difference.

Once you get up to the ultra efficiency, there is a large price difference between them and the units below. I have installed two stage heating and two stage cooling. 18 seer AC and 96% AFUE furnace. The energy savings are real especially here in Canada where everything is very expensive. But just as important, the quality of parts are better in the high end models and there is also a MUCH better warranty. Our good friend told us in terms of brand names and their different lines of products, these companies utilize pretty much the same parts, some brands even owned by the same company. He chose to go with the KeepRite because that is what he works a lot with in commercial HVAC and they are easy units to fix.

Congrats on the new furnace, Doc.

I sold the house I had the new furnace installed in, but I was saving $300-450 yr on gas with the higher efficiency unit. Well worth it, should have changed it sooner.