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Carrier Performance 80 Gas Furnace Price
We enjoy passing along the experiences our readers have and the prices they paid for their heating and cooling components. You can find more on our HVAC Prices page, too. Today we share one from Greg in Rolla, MO about the Carrier Performance 80 Gas Furnace.
“We’re in the process of building a 1,100 square foot cabin in the northern Ozarks and recently made the decision to install a Carrier Performance 80 gas furnace. I also considered Goodman, Trane and Amana but settled on the Carrier mostly because of the reputation the brand has. Price-wise, Carrier units can be 5% to 15% more than comparable equipment, but if I get better/longer service from it, I won’t complain. I chose an 80% efficient unit because, as much as I’d love to spend every weekend at the cabin, if I get there one weekend a month through the winter I’ll be happy. I checked out the payback time for going with a more efficient furnace, like a 90%, but it just wasn’t worth the extra expense for our needs.
The Carrier Performance 80 has solid, reliable features I like, without anything too fancy that would make it less affordable. I have a Carrier Infinity series furnace in our permanent residence, just didn’t think the cabin required that level of performance, especially since the system doesn’t have an integrated air conditioner.
Here are some of the key features of the Carrier Performance 80 furnace, model 58CTX:
Capacity: 90,000 Btu – bigger than needed, probably, but it was just $25 more than the 70k unit and I’d rather have too much than too little
2-stage control that maintains even temps with low operation; uses high when we arrive and turn it on
Comfort Heat technology that reduces heat swings
QuieTech which is a huge plus since the unit is installed in a utility closet on the first floor
Standard thermostat – went basic over the more advanced Thermidistat I have at home
Cost of the furnace: $999
Cost of installation: $1,250
Total: $2,149
I was planning to install unit myself, with my brother’s help, since it’s new construction and nothing hard to work around. However, the more research I did about DIY furnace installation the more I came to the conclusion I needed to have a qualified contractor do the work. Many HVAC experts emphasize that the quality of the installation is at least as important as the quality of the unit. So while I’d rather pocket the $1,250 I don’t want to take the risk of having a unit that doesn’t perform properly – and then I’d have to pay to get it fixed anyway.”
