Savings - replacing furnace

[Impreza]

Considering replacing my 2 old clunker furnaces (they are at least 20 years old) with 2 new high efficiency furnaces. Has anyone replaced their furnaces recently? Have the savings in utilities been significant? How much did you pay for the furnace + installation? Just want to get an idea of what to expect.

[spike98]

Honestly, if your current units are still working i wouldn't look at replacing until a large repair is needed.

Run the numbers

http://www.lennox.com/buyers-guide/t...ngs-calculator

[dirtsniffer]

my parents replaced their 25 year old furnance while it was still functioning. The new HE one breaks down every year.

I would leave it the fuck alone until it breaks.

[ExtraSlow]

You won't save money replacing a unit that is functioning. Also, our comrades in the provincial capitol will be paying for a big chunk of more efficient furnaces soon,, if they aren't already, so don't even think about it unless you are getting this adventure at least partially funded by the taxpayer.

[revelations]

You will likely never recoup the parts and install costs of 2 HE furnaces unless you live in the house for 30 years and Nat Gas prices skyrocket.

We did our windows, not because of savings but because they all looked like shit (10,000$ for entire home). We MAY recoup ~500$ in savings over the next 10 years due to decreased heat loss, but thats probably on the high side.

[rx7_turbo2]

If they're running leave them alone. You probably wont recoup the cost and the new units will have a shorter lifespan than you expect.

[Thaco]

yeah what they said, mine is original with my place built in 79, i'll consider it depending on the rebates offered from the govt in the near future.

But i have only had to repair my current unit one in the past 10 years, new ones i hear breaking down all the time, cost savings on HE will be eaten up by repairs.

[mr2mike]

Let me know if you're doing this.
I'll pick up those old furnaces.

[Xtrema]

Don't replace old shit until they fully shit the bed.

Anything built in the last decade are garbage, regardless the brand. Too many points of failures and electronics.

You want to save energy, spend it on windows and doors and get a programmable thermostat. So your furnace doesn't need to come on as much.

[Thaco]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Don't replace old shit until they fully shit the bed.

Anything built in the last decade are garbage, regardless the brand. Too many points of failures and electronics.

You want to save energy, spend it on windows and doors and get a programmable thermostat. So your furnace doesn't need to come on as much.

dont spend money on a thermostat get it from the govt for free

[ercchry]

Few variables for cost... but for a pair installed it's going to be around the $10k mark... nat gas usage is such a small percentage of your bill that you'd probably not notice it...

[killramos]

It's pretty easy to estimate the savings based on current usage and the difference between efficiency ratings. Even if you double the difference the numbers won't add up.

New homes are efficient for so many different ways than their furnaces.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Don't replace old shit until they fully shit the bed.

Anything built in the last decade are garbage, regardless the brand. Too many points of failures and electronics.

I've heard that a lot.

Does it refer to just the high efficiency models or is that all you can get? And yes, I understand that a HE model won't make shit of difference on your bill.

[firebane]

I have been watching the comments here because surely updating a low efficient furnace to something more efficient would make a difference.

The furnace in our place had the energy guide sticker and it was at the lowest point for efficiency and with a programmable thermostat the gas usage is crazy high and makes up for the majority of our bill.

[speedog]

Originally posted by firebane
I have been watching the comments here because surely updating a low efficient furnace to something more efficient would make a difference.

The furnace in our place had the energy guide sticker and it was at the lowest point for efficiency and with a programmable thermostat the gas usage is crazy high and makes up for the majority of our bill.

But will your actual natural gas savings make up for the cost of that new furnace if your old furnace kept going for another 10 years. I also have to wonder if the new HE furnaces use more electricity as they do seem to run a lot more than he older furnaces.

[ZenOps]

Coldest winter month (January) for a large house is somewhere on the order of 23GJ , going from a 60% to a 90% will probably save you about 8GJ on that month.

If natgas is around $3 per GJ, you probably didn't burn the extra $24. Realistically its probably around a $120 difference per year.

Add in that HE furnaces usually need some sort of maintenance every other year that usually costs around that much - it pretty much nullifies any savings.

But.. You can feel a little better about having a smaller carbon footprint.

[Maxt]

I get HE furnaces and parts wholesale and can install it myself, I am keeping my standard efficiency furnace for as long as it lasts. It has generic non proprietary controls and fan motor. The way the warranty service is going on the HE furnaces, and the heat exchanger/electronics issues, I want no part of it in my own home.
If you have a HE, especially one with modulating blower, put in on a circuit with surge protection.

[Darell_n]

Originally posted by Maxt
I get HE furnaces and parts wholesale and can install it myself, I am keeping my standard efficiency furnace for as long as it lasts. It has generic non proprietary controls and fan motor. The way the warranty service is going on the HE furnaces, and the heat exchanger/electronics issues, I want no part of it in my own home.
If you have a HE, especially one with modulating blower, put in on a circuit with surge protection.

X2. Plus I have the inexpensive spare parts sitting next to my furnace to keep it running until I retire. (and move)

[eblend]

As everyone else said, the simpler the better. Sure it may use up a bit more gas, but gas is cheap, you won't make up the cost anytime soon, and I hear lots of people with HE furnace issues, seems like a pain.

I had a gas valve issue with my mid-efficiency furnace just this past winter (there is a thread about it), and it took me a while to troubleshoot, but in the end a $125 gas valve replacement is all it took to fix. At one point I was thinking of just saying fuck it and get an HE furnace, but then I read a bunch of horror stories and realized I better get this thing fixed.

Everything nowadays is build to be replaced, so if your current stuff is still good, just let it be.

[ercchry]

The hardest part about this disposable society is trying to find a good furnace company to service the old stuff if you can't do it yourself... had someone working on a house for me and the heat went out, couldn't get there myself so told him just to call some companies... both quotes were basically "not worth to fix, get a new furnace" uhhh... nope, that weekend called a buddy I use to work with and $20 in parts later it was up and running again