All Brand Service, Inc.

Major Appliance Repair

 

New Product Recommendations

Heating and Cooling

 

 

SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) refers to cost of operation.  Higher numbers indicate more energy efficiency.

Furnace energy efficiency is rated between 80 to 98%.  Consumer Reports quoted "the most expensive furnaces to buy and install tend to have the most frequent repairs due to added complexity.  "My recommendation is to purchase furnaces in the 80% SEER rating.

All furnaces produced since 1990 are pilot-less.

Furnaces that  incorporate variable speed draft induction and variable speed blowers are quieter and more energy efficient but are more expensive to repair.

Two stage heating is more energy efficient but incorporates more components.

Remember, the higher the energy efficiency, the higher the price tag.

Air conditioning energy efficiency is rated between 13.0 SEER to 23.0 SEER. Like furnaces the most efficient models are expensive and have a higher incident of failure. Two speed air conditioners add more expensive components.  Variable speed blowers are more energy efficient but are more expensive to repair.  

R22, the common refrigerant used for many years, was phased out in 2010 in production and in 2020 will no longer be available for service work.
New refrigerants like 410 and Puron are being used to replace R22 and are more environmentally friendly.

Clients ask which brands I recommend for heating and cooling products. I have listed a few of the most common units. There are many other furnace manufacturers besides the ones listed below. 

You will want to get on-site estimates from at least 3 contractors before purchasing. You should ask the contractor to do a load calculation at your home.
All Brand Service Inc does not sell or install heating or air conditioning equipment.

Replacing your equipment in April or September will be more beneficial since companies that install are not as busy at that time. Work quality will be better and price will be more reasonable. Try to get referrals and use a local company that has been around a while.

Single Stage Furnace

2-Stage Furnace

Programmable Thermostat 

Manage energy costs while 

you're asleep or at work

2-Stage Furnace
Variable Speed

I recommend using pleated filters in furnaces.

Brand Manufacturer Our Rating & Comments
Air Ease Armstrong C
American Standard Trane B  Similar to Trane, lower price
  Bryant United Technologies Best Buy, Same as Carrier, lower price
  Carrier United Technologies Best Buy
Comfortmaker InterCity Products D  Builder quality
Frigidaire Nordyne C  Fair quality
Goodman (Janitrol) Goodman E  Not recommended
Heil Inter-City Products D  Builder quality
  Lennox Lennox Industries C  Many specialized parts. Service can be a problem.
Maytag Nordyne C  Fair quality
Rheem (Ruud) Rheem C  
Tempstar Inter-City Products D  Poor quality
Trane Trane B  
York York International C  Fair quality
 

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