Amana AMH95 — 95% AFUE gas furnace Price

• Posted in Amana Furnace, Gas Furnaces
• on January 16, 2011
• No Comments.

A high-efficiency model like the Amana AMH95 — 95% AFUE gas furnace makes great sense in cold climates where the heat is on from October into April or even May.  Jim in Cascade, Iowa did the math on energy savings and thought he’d pass along the savings and the HVAC prices he encountered.  We’re glad to pass them along to you.

“We heat about 190 days per year here so it’s essential that we get the absolute best efficiency from our furnace.  Fifteen years ago when we went from a 70% efficient model to a 80% the savings were dramatic, even with the relatively low cost of natural gas then.  Now we’re going to a 95% model, the Amana AMH95.  I got these quotes from my local Amana dealer:

Amana GMH8, 90,000 Btu gas furnace, $929; Installation, $1,750.  Total: $2,679

Amana AMH95, 92,000 Btu gas furnace, $1,499; Installation, $1,950.  Total: $3,449

The difference is $770.  Our typical cold weather heating bill for natural gas is $140.  We stand to save 15% per month on heating, so that comes to $21 per month, at 6 months per year, or $126 total savings each year.  At that rate, which I fully expect, the $770 difference will be met in 6 years. Since we should get at least 12-15 years service from the furnace, we’ll double our savings or more.  I, like many others, am concerned about the cost of natural gas.  The more it goes up, the better our investment in a high efficiency furnace will be. We’ll get a tax credit too, reducing our final cost even more.“

Jim’s math and logic seem pretty sound.  Plus, the Amana AMH95 gas furnace offers great features:

• 95% AFUE is Energy Star rated and it qualifies for the federal energy-efficiency tax credit.
• Btu capacities of sub-models are: 46K, 69K, 92K and 115K.
• 2-stage gas valve can be activated to conserve energy and offer more consistent temperatures.
• MillionAir stainless steel heat exchanger with lifetime unit replacement warranty to original owner.
• SureStart silicon nitride igniter – no pilot light.
• TwinComfort design means the furnace starts at low speed and runs at low speed the majority of the time.  This converses energy, prevents unheated air from blowing strong, and is more quiet.
• Factory run-tested prior to shipment.

The higher efficiency furnaces like the Amana AMH95 — 95% AFUE gas furnace require skilled and experienced technicians to carefully set up and test the units to maximize their performance.  Seemingly small errors in settings can result in significant loss of efficiency, as much as 10% to 25%.  When properly installed by a qualified contractor, a high-efficiency gas furnace will substantially cut costs, and in the case of a brand like Amana, produce excellent value.