If your main concerns are noise and safety, consider a premium efficiency furnace. Premium-efficiency furnaces feature both sealed combustion and variable-speed blowers driven by highly efficient electrically commutated motors. They cost more, but they may be worth it.

Should I Switch My Heating Fuel?

In most parts of Canada, it will be more expensive to heat with an electric furnace than one with oil or gas. An exception would be if you heat primarily with a woodstove and use the furnace only infrequently as backup. In this case, the low cost and low maintenance requirements of an electric furnace may be a major advantage. Choosing between oil and gas furnaces is a matter of choice. Make the calculation to see if it is significantly less expensive to use one fuel or another based on current prices in your area. Oil furnaces require a tank and usually a chimney. There may be additional costs for chimney modification or oil storage tanks when purchasing an oil furnace. Some home insurance companies require periodic oil tank replacements. Check if a new gas furnace would also require relining the chimney. Consult with your contractor and make sure that these costs are included in your estimates.

How Do I Choose?

Some dealers are recommending a Furnace of 100,000 BTU/h and some say 80,000 BTU/h will be fine. If you are buying an oil furnace or a midefficiency gas furnace, proper sizing will affect the durability and efficient operation of your appliance.Your choices are either to pay for a proper heat loss analysis, calculate house heat loss, or accept the dealer's estimate. Sometimes government or utility programs subsidize house testing, such as the NRCan Energuide for house's tests. If such a program is available in your vicinity, this can be an economical way to have your house heating load established.

Is it Better to Buy a High-Efficiency or a Mid-Efficiency Gas Furnace?

Surveys in the last several years show that the incremental cost to purchase a High-Efficiency gas furnace over a Mid-Efficiency model is in the order of $300 to $1,000. Given the gas prices through the 1990s, this price increase would take five or more years to pay back through the lower operating costs of High-Efficiency furnaces. As natural gas prices increase, it becomes increasingly easier to recommend High-Efficiency appliances. Other reasons for choosing High-Efficiency appliances include their lack of chimney, their ability to operate safely in newer, airtight housing (where chimney performance can be affected by negative pressures), and the apparent longevity of their plastic venting systems.

Is Furnace "A" Better Than Furnace "B"?
How Can I Find That Out?

There is little or no available data to show that one manufacturer's furnace will operate longer and with less trouble than a furnace from another manufacturer. This is frustrating for consumers. We are used to being able to read ratings of one product versus another product and to make a choice based on those ratings. However, a good furnace will last 25 years. A poor one may break down prematurely at 15 years. With lifetimes of this length, and with furnace design and model changes, it is hard to predict which furnace will provide the best service. There are two factors to help you in your choice. Pick a furnace with a long heat exchanger warranty, 20 years or more. If the manufacturer is willing to back the most expensive part of their appliance for a long time, this should inspire some confidence. Also, pick a furnace manufacturer and a dealer that have been in business for a significant period of time. A furnace with a lifetime warranty offered by a company which has been in operation for only three years may not be the best deal. One would expect to pay less for this level of uncertainty. Look for contractors with memberships in trade organizations such as HRAI, which would indicate an interest in professional qualifications.

Mid or High-Efficiency Gas Furnaces What's the Difference?

Mid-Efficiency Gas

High-Efficiency Gas

What is an air handler?

The major components enclosed in an air handler's cabinetry are the blower and motor, controls, heater compartment, and an evaporator coil. This is why it is also sometimes referred to as a fan coil. A standard air handler, like the single stage furnace, delivers the same amount of airflow no matter what the temperature inside. Trane's variable-speed air handler has Comfort-R Enhanced mode, like our variable-speed gas furnace, allowing the coil to cool down quickly and the blower to slowly ramp up and ramp down or to operate at 50 percent of the cooling air speed in the FAN ON position. This provides greater humidity control, quieter operation, maximum air circulation, temperature distribution, and air filtration for greater control of your home's indoor environment.

What are the differences in Trane XB and XLi heat pump and air conditioner units?

Our XLi outdoor product lines have higher air conditioning efficiencies (SEER) ranges than the XB line. Some of the enhanced features include Trane's patented WeatherGuard™ top that provides maximum protection for the outdoor condenser coil, a compressor sound enclosure for quiet performance, a two-speed condenser fan that improves both efficiency and sound levels, and twice the original limited warranty as the XB outdoor product line.

I am interested in a programmable thermostat for my home comfort system. What thermostat should I select?

We recommend TRANE Programmable Comfort Controls such as the XL800 or XL600 series thermostats. Please contact your local independent Trane dealer for assistance with purchase and installation of energy-saving controls.

What are the differences in Trane's single-stage, 2-Stage,
and variable-speed gas furnaces?

A single stage furnace will deliver the same amount of heat and airflow no matter what the temperature is outside. A 2-stage furnace with a 2-stage thermostat will begin in first stage (low burner, low airflow) and only go to second stage if the indoor temperature drops during first stage. This makes the furnace run longer, providing greater air circulation, temperature distribution, and air filtration. This also provides a more consistent indoor environment. The second stage will only come on when the need is there and then it will be able to run longer and maintain the comfort level. The more your system starts and stops, the less control you will have of your home's environment - and the less efficiently it works, partly due to duct heat loss. The advantage of Trane's 2-stage, variable-speed furnace is it has Comfort-R™ Enhanced mode. This allows the coil to cool quickly and the blower to slowly ramp up and ramp down or operate at 50 percent of the cooling air speed in the FAN ON position. This provides greater humidity control, quieter operation, and maximum air circulation, temperature distribution, and air filtration.