When you are looking for a new furnace in one of Goff Refrigeration Company’s service areas we can help you with free friendly consultations and a free estimate.
There are several points of consideration in choosing a new system. Please remember these are just our observation’s based on decades of experience – it is still critical to have a professional in-home inspection and evaluation for advice with your own unique and specific needs. No two homes or homeowner has the same requirements, your needs cannot be evaluated over the phone, no matter how much experience anyone has.
Furnace Efficiency Options
Most furnace manufacturer’s offer about 6 different furnace options. One of the first decisions you will need to consider is how efficient do you want your new furnace to be. You have both 80% AFUE and 90% Plus AFUE options. The next consideration is what options do you want to include with the furnace – the basic 6 options are:
- 90% Plus AFUE – Variable speed, two-stage, two-pipe
- 90% Plus AFUE – Two-stage, two-pipe
- 90% Plus AFUE – Single stage
- 80% AFUE – Variable speed, two-stage
- 80% AFUE – Two stage
- 80% AFUE – Single stage
What Does AFUE Mean To Me?
AFUE is an acronym for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. In layman’s terms – think of the miles per gallon (MPG) rating on your vehicle, it is the amount of gas a furnace uses – and how efficiently it uses it. The unused fuel is represented by the gas that is discharged through the flue pipe or chimney. So, the 80% AFUE furnace utilizes 80% of the gas that you are paying for and waste’s the remaining 20%. 90% AFUE furnaces waste 10% of the gas you are paying for and conversely 95% AFUE furnaces waste 5% of the fuel you are paying for. If your existing furnace is 15 years old or older, chances are it is probably about 65 to 70% AFUE. 20 year old furnaces can be as low as 60% AFUE and lower.
80% AFUE or 90% AFUE Furnace?
All manufacturer’s do not create equally – some offer higher AFUE’s than others. Our Carrier® furnaces offer some of the most efficient equipment available. Aside from manufacturer differences a few obvious differences in 80% and 90% models will be the way the exhaust or combustion by-products exit your home. 80% furnaces still use traditional metal vent pipe. If your furnace is currently being vented into a brick chimney and you elect to purchase an 80% model, you will need to have a chimney liner installed to protect the chimney. 90% models utilize PVC to exhaust their combustion by-products from your home. This type of flue management system is typically exited through a side wall, using either two parallel pipes or a concentric vent kit. 90% furnaces also require drain piping to manage the condensate collected in the exhaust.
Indiana Homeowners
If you are an Indiana homeowner and plan to live in or own your home for five years or longer, we do not recommend 80% furnaces. You probably spend more heating your home than you do on all other appliances in your home combined. Economically it is just good sense to invest in the most efficient furnace you can to reduce your utility bills as much as you can. If you do not plan on owning or living in your home that long, an 80% furnace may be cheaper – if you are replacing a lower efficiency metal vent furnace, at least initially – if these are your circumstances this may be more economically feasible for your specific situation. Keep in mind however, even given short term ownership of the home, 90% Plus AFUE equipment enhances resell value of your home. Some prospective homeowners will hesitate to purchase a home with an 80% furnace. The cost of natural and LP gas has continued to rise and will rise forever. An act of terrorism or disruption in the U.S. supply of gas and our gas and natural gas prices could easily double or triple overnight. Make your decision carefully when making 80% to 90% comparisons.
Single-Stage, Two-Stage, Variable Speed or Communicating?
Whether you choose an 80% AFUE or a 90% Plus AFUE, you will have a few different options in each category. Single-Stage, Two-Stage, Variable Speed and Communicating.
Single-Stage furnaces are the traditional design of the past. In the past single stage furnaces were the only option available. When the thermostat calls for heat the furnace comes on, full bore until the thermostat reaches set point. Having a single stage furnace could be compared to having a range that has only high and off for temperature selections.
The two-stage furnace offers a couple of very nice benefits. It is capable of operating on low fire and when needed on high fire. “When needed” is the operative – the thermostat and furnace stage automatically, it happens without you ever knowing that it’s going on (except for when you see the reduction in your gas bill). During the vast majority of the time your two-stage furnace will be able to maintain your desired setpoint using only the low fire stage. A two-stage furnace will run longer than a single-stage furnace, keep in mind however, the longer it runs the more evenly it is mixing the air in your home – and it is running at half the gas input of a single-stage – if you experience uneven temperatures (hot and cold rooms) or stratification during the heating season a two-stage furnace will help or in some cases totally eliminate these problems.
The variable speed furnace, is in plain English – sweet. A variable speed furnace delivers a level of comfort at such an unequaled level of performance, that it’s difficult to describe if you haven’t been in a home that has one. Call Goff Refrigeration Co.™ and ask for literature on our Carrier® Infinity™ Modulating ICS with IdealComfort™ or download a brochure here. The variable speed furnace is a two-stage furnace, as described above. Standard single and two-stage furnaces use conventional blower drives (fan motors), one pre-determined set fan speed for heat and one for cool. Makes no difference if that particular setting is too high or too low for your duct system, that’s what the furnace puts out – that’s what you get. The drive on a variable speed furnace has no pre-determined speeds, it adjusts itself to your duct system. It constantly measures pressure within your duct system and adjusts itself accordingly, so you always have the correct volume of air flow. A variable speed drive runs on DC voltage, and because of this technology costs MUCH less to operate than any other blower drive. Variable speed furnaces are absolutely, hands down the quietest furnace that you can invest in, they clean the air better than any other furnace you can buy, they are the most efficient furnaces you can buy and most air conditioners have an increased SEER rating when combined with a variable speed furnace.
What Is a Two-Pipe Furnace?
One pipe is your typical flue or exhaust pipe, remember as we talked about earlier, the 90% AFUE models will use a PVC conduit as opposed to the conventional metal flues found on everything else. The second conduit or pipe is a dedicated source for outside combustion air. Furnaces that do not have the second pipe option available will take it’s combustion air (the air needed for the flame to burn), from directly inside the home, garage, basement, crawl, or wherever the furnace is located. This can create issues, especially if your house is “tight” or insulated properly – that’s why it is important to determine the specific MVR (minimum ventilation requirement) for your home – GRC, Inc.™ can do this using digital blower door testing technology, something we will discuss in another article later. When you exhaust indoor air, you put your home in a negative pressure, like water following the path of least resistance, your home wants to replace all of the air that has been exhausted. It replaces that air any way it can – windows, doors, cracks, fireplaces and other combustion equipment flue’s like your water heater – in this circumstance if your water heater is fired at the same time your furnace is fired and the furnace is creating negative pressure in the home, you can actually create carbon monoxide spillage into the living space through the water heater flue. When you ask for a proposal if your Company doesn’t evaluate this potential health issue – ask them why. This phenomena is one of the attributing factors to your home feeling “drafty” when the furnace is running, the house is “sucking” cold air from anywhere it can find it. With a two-pipe system you are bringing dedicated air from outdoors, through a pipe specifically for the purpose of combustion, burning it and sending it right back outdoors through the exhaust pipe. A two-pipe system will not contribute to placing the home under negative pressure every time it runs.
What Furnace Makes the Most Sense?
When you are making a decision about which furnace to invest in, we strongly recommend balancing that decision with the amount of time you realistically expect to be living in the home and the market value of that home – remember an 80% AFUE furnace, even a shiny new one will cause many prospective buyers to balk – we’ve seen it happen. If you are staying 5 or more years, we HIGHLY recommend that you consider the 90% Plus variable speed options, it’s the furnace I chose for my family and a large percentage of our clients choose it. If you have limited funds and cannot afford the best furnace and best air conditioner you can buy, we recommend spending the extra money on the better furnace. The furnace will have a faster ROI and you will benefit from it during both heating and cooling seasons.
Thermostats
Prior to beginning any installation procedures, we have an evaluation and estimation process. Our Service and Installation Manager will visit your home and ask a few questions. These questions will help Goff determine which systems best fit your needs and will be used to base which equipment types we will recommend to you. We will also use this time to evaluate your existing system to determine what if any changes need to be made to it prior to beginning installation of a new system. Among the things we evaluate in your existing system will be your thermostat. There a re a multitude of thermostat options available, too many in fact to list here. We will discuss your specific preferences for thermostats and recommend the ideal thermostat based on those preferences and the thermostat that provides optimal control for the specific system you invest in. GRC, Inc.™ includes, free of charge a top of the line touch screen or Carrier® Edge® controller with our high efficiency furnaces or we may recommend the Infinity® controller for our premium systems.
High Efficiency Systems
The Goff Refrigeration Co.™ specialize in high efficiency systems, that’s one of the reason’s we choose to partner with Carrier®. We design systems to be the most cost effective, efficient, and reliable available from anyone. As difficult as it may be to believe our system designs incorporated with the technology Carrier® builds into their equipment, some clients may realize as much as a 50% reduction in energy costs or more. Whether you have a condo, a typical home or a 20,000 square foot building, GRC, Inc. has cutting edge technology, design and applications experience that can help you achieve the savings you need without sacrificing the comfort and reliability you deserve. Ask us about all of our options, including exclusive Carrier® HybridHEAT™ Systems.
What’s Included?
Simply put…..everything. When Goff Refrigeration Co. provides a proposal for a new system or new equipment, we have included everything needed to complete the job – there will never be any hidden charges, or ooops!!! we missed that. If we missed something in our proposal that you need – we include it at no additional charge. Rest assured the price we quote is the price you will pay at the completion of the installation. Taxes included.
Equipment Warranty
All of our equipment comes with industry leading 10 year warranties – and GRC, Inc. registers the equipment for you, you don’t need to do anything. Extended warranties are also available. Plus Goff Refrigeration Co. has been in business since 1953 – when you need service or warranty repairs you can rest assured that we will be here when you need us to be. Some equipment has longer warranties than 10 years, call us for specific equipment warranties and remember equipment manufacturers require the system be serviced at least once annually – professionally to maintain your warranty – GRC, Inc.™ even gives new equipment purchases our Planned Service Agreement free for the first year, then we send reminders via email or postal service that it’s time to have it service again.
The Installation Process – What Can I Expect?
When we come to your home to begin our installation process, the Service and Installation Manager that you’ve already met, will arrive with our installation team to introduce them to you. They will place covers over their boots and cover the work area and paths to the work area with clean tarps to protect the flooring in your home. Our installation team will walk through the installation process with you, they will explain all the steps involved in the process and equipment placement, to make absolutely certain everyone is on the same page before they begin. When the installation is complete, they will execute a commissioning process, basically a check sheet to verify everything is performing and fine tuned to manufacturer’s specifications. Our last step is to take you on a test drive to explain how your new system works.
In our next article we will discuss heat pumps, dual fuel systems and why they are a good choice for Hoosiers. And don’t forget GRC, Inc.™ has financing available.
Filed under: 80% AFUE Furnaces, 90% AFUE Furnaces, Air Conditioning, Carrier, Filters, Goff Refrigeration Co. Inc., Heating, Humidification, IdealComfort, Indoor Air Quality, Infinity, Planned Service/Preventative Maintenance, Service Agreements, Thermostats, UV Lighting | Leave a comment »
Goff Refrigeration Co™. Inc. 
