Furnace replacement help

[BadgerFiend]

Gentlemen,

Im in the urgent business of replacing my furnace asap. My questions for you are: single vs two stage? High efficiency (92.5 %) single stage vs Two stage? Pros vs cons. Etc. anything else that may be helpful...
I live in Michigan so yea, cold winters. I’ve always had basic furnaces (80% efficiency) but would love to save on my monthly gas bills and stay warm as well. We do not keep it really warm, 64-66 F most of the winter season. Thank you in advance.

 

[woodpusher]

2-stage should be preferable.

A poor analogy is comparing it to a light switch.
Single stage: Light is either OFF or ON (full brightness)
Two stage: Light can be OFF, ON (partial brightness) or ON (full brightness)

Furnace-wise:
Single stage: Furnace+FAN is either OFF or ON (full blast)
Two Stage: Amount of heat being generated is variable (off, on-1/2, on-full) and FAN is variable speed

Most 2-stage should run at ON-1/2 gas most of the time when heating is needed, but will kick into full gas usage if super cold.

NOTE: My advice is worth exactly what you paid for it. I am not HVAC certified and I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

[BadgerFiend]

2-stage should be preferable.

A poor analogy is comparing it to a light switch.
Single stage: Light is either OFF or ON (full brightness)
Two stage: Light can be OFF, ON (partial brightness) or ON (full brightness)

Furnace-wise:
Single stage: Furnace+FAN is either OFF or ON (full blast)
Two Stage: Amount of heat being generated is variable (off, on-1/2, on-full) and FAN is variable speed

Most 2-stage should run at ON-1/2 gas most of the time when heating is needed, but will kick into full gas usage if super cold.

NOTE: My advice is worth exactly what you paid for it. I am not HVAC certified and I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Thanks Sam. I have been researching myself and I found some conflicting info. Therefore, consult the wise Cadre. Thank you for your input

 

[Majorrich]

We recently replaced our furnace. Due to the high variability of our winter temperatures, and the heat pump still being functional, we went with Lenox, which was the manufacturer of the unit that died. A man came out and sized the unit based on the ducts and the size of the house, and they installed it the next day. I don’t pretend to know the ins and outs of furnaces, but the larger capacity furnace is using less gas than for the same period last year. Of course we’ve only been using it for a week or two. I just got the gas bill.

 

[NurseDave]

The Lenox guy does have a neat hat in the commercials.

 

[CVargo]

I found a nice guy in our neighborhood who runs his own business and got a 95% efficiency that was cheaper than an 80% from competitors. If your neighborhood has a facebook page ask there. See what comes up.

 

[BadgerFiend]

Thanks again guys. Pulled the trigger on a 96.5% efficiency 2 stage Bryant model. We used our home warranty insurance that we purchased earlier this year with the house. Saves us some money. Bryant is a subsidiary of Carrier... think Chevy and GMC... I bought the Silverado for less than your Sierra and we have the same truck (I’m not a GM guy, just trying to make an analogy). Should save us in natural gas costs during the cold months and a little in electricity while blowing the AC in the summer .... 3,2,1, new AC coming in 2021, 2022 at latest
Thankfully to God, my wife got a nice bonus today... her practice was bought out by a health care system last year so now she’s on their bonus plan.... basically pays for the unit + install, so we are beyond thankful