Budget Killer:New furnace and central air units.... price range?

[mrseace711]

Our central air DIED this summer, and now our furnace is barely heating our home. These are the homes originals!! Home was built it 1969 its a rare quad-level. We have owned the home for a year and a half we knew this was coming, we have had our units serviced and attempted repair when we still had our home warranty by 3 different companys all who qouted us new units with labor between 2k-7k theres a huge difference in prices. I want quality that will last us another 30 years, efficiency, and budget friendly. We are using our tax $ to pay for the new unit so I have about a month and a half to find someone. We are still 'new' homeowners and learning along the way I could just call someone off the many commercials we see on tv but I dont want to look naive (which I am) my husband is mr gullible with any other male figure in a uniform and name tag HELP a round about price range works for me, questions I need to ask, I live in NW Indiana (Notre Dame) if anyone has reccomendations. Thank You

 

[Swissdog2010]

You need to be more specific. What parts need to be replaced. What kind of furnace? Oil, gas, forced air, hot water baseboard?

 

[mrseace711]

Gas forced air. We need new units.

 

[Swissdog2010]

Here's a site to start researching. Look at the estimates and see what models and sizes, BTU, that they are recommending, compared to what you have. Use the internet to research, research, research. Balancing cost, efficiency and lifespan is tricky. Remeber, you get what you pay for. A few extra dollars now can save much more over time.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7490350_average-forced-air-gas-furnace.html

Unfortunately we have oil baseboard so i can't help there, but we replaced the condensor (outside unit) of our AC three years ago and it was about 2800.

 

[cornflake]

I only know from the furnace as I just got one -

You want to know the correct BTUs for your size house - you can look this up online to know yourself and then use it to make sure people aren't trying to upsell you.

You want 95% efficient, you want to read reviews of the furnace brands (I found a cheap one but every review said the thing like, fell apart immediately), you want a standard brand that the gas company or whomever has the parts to service - contact them or whomever services your stuff and check what brands they recommend and what brands they have experience working on. Those are the brands they stock and can get parts for quickly.

You also want to choose between single and double step heating. The single just fires up the furnace to heat the house if the house is below the heat desired. The double has a like, half-on type level of heating, that doesn't fire the furnace up to full capacity if it doesn't need to send out that much heat. The two step costs more but *may* save you money, depending on how often the furnace is kicking on, etc.

Again, your gas company can probably tell you stuff like what people save using the one or two step, what people have saved with an energy-efficient furnace, etc., etc.

Also, not for nothing but looking for a 30-year furnace is just not going to happen, and if someone tells you it is, they're probably lying. It's like looking for a refrigerator that'll last 50 years because there are ones from 50 years ago still running. They're not made that way anymore. Now I think 15 is supposed to be a decently long lasting furnace.

 

[SaraJayne]

The average life span of a furnace is 15 years. You are very fortunate the original lasted as long as it did. You won't find a furnace that will last you 30 years.

Our furnace is currently 14 years old (original one put in when the house was built), so we know replacement is coming sometime in the near future.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

We just had our entire system replaced in Dec 2008. Our house is a single story 1300sq ft and we have a duel fuel system (central air, gas heat) and it cost right at 6k. That included new duct work, a digital thermostat and new vent covers throughout the house and they disposed of all the stuf they ripped out. Our old unit was over 30 years old.

Do your homework and get several estimates. The least expensive place impressed me the most, the company owner came out and crawled under the house and inspected everything before giving me a quote, the other places didn't do that. He also came out with his crew and supervised and his crew was super nice and knew exactly what they were doing.

 

[POOHsie]

I replaced my gas furnace/central air this past summer. Cost around $5k for 95% efficient. Just a modest unit, nothing fancy for my small, 2-BR, 110-yo house. I already see a good savings on winter heat, as the old furnace was a cheap unit from the early 1980's.

My mom in upstate NY, with a 5-BR, well-insulated house, bought one of the high efficiency gas furnaces/air, where the fan is always circulating but the heat cycles on/off as needed. You really never hear the furnace start up, and the fan is very quiet. The continuous fan keeps the air temp feeling warm in-between heat cycles. Mom says this unit has made a drastic difference in her heating bill for such a large home, and it always feels warm inside, even with the thermostat set lower than her old furnace. If you could swing the extra couple thou for this type unit, you will be making a great investment and saving quite a bit each month.

 

[Darcy03231]

We have 3,200 sf of living space. We replaced our gas furnace (forced hot water) 4 years ago (no central air). Cost was about $5k.

 

[Pigeon]

Definitely get several quotes. My ILs highly recommended one company. That should have clued me in right off, but dh got the first quote from them. It was more than twice the next highest quote for exactly the same systems.