Did you know that roughly half of all Americans use a natural gas furnace for their home’s primary heat source? While the heat source is sufficient, many people may not be getting the most out of their furnaces if they’re old or worn down.
A new model can potentially make your house warmer and save you money. If you’re considering upgrading your gas or oil furnace, then we highly recommend Carrier products. But which Carrier furnace model works best for your specific home?
And is it the right time for you to upgrade your home’s furnace? In this article, we’ll go over everything about the company’s long line of furnaces. But first, let’s take a closer look at the company and what kind of products they offer.
What Is The Carrier Company and What Type of Products Do They Offer?
Carrier has been an innovator in air conditioning and heating technology since its inception in 1902. Since they’ve been around for over one hundred years, the company has had time to invest in research into their products.
As a result, Carrier heating, cooling, and filtration systems are among the greenest and most efficient in the world. Roughly half of their product line meets the standards set forth by the Energy Star certification.
Carrier offers three popular product lines for its furnaces: the Infinity, Performance and Comfort series.
These furnaces are usually single-stage or two-stage models. Today, Carrier continues to experiment with cutting edge geothermal and ductless technology.
What Are The Different Types of Carrier Furnaces?
The perfect Carrier furnace for you depends on your preferences and your price range.
It also depends on the type of heat sources that you use: oil or gas. In this section, we’ll briefly go over some of the general features that come with each different Carrier series.
Infinity Series Gas Furnaces
- Price range: Expensive
- Efficiency: Between 96.7% – 80% annual fuel utilization efficiency
- Additional comfort features: Best
If you want the best of the best from the Carrier furnace line, then you can’t beat the Infinity Series Gas Furnaces. The Infinity system combines technology and HVAC systems in a way that leads to big savings and convenience.
The result is the highest degree of efficiency amongst Carrier furnaces. What makes this possible?
Ninety percent of the time the Infinity Series Gas Furnace runs on a low stage operation that is both quiet and energy efficient — up to 96.7% AFUE. Greenspeed intelligence ensures automated adjustments that make sure every 1% of energy usage is accounted for.
Comfort Heat Technology® minimizes annoying temperature fluctuations. The Infinity Series is especially ideal if you live in an area with a humid summer climate. The heat pump and air conditioner both help dehumidify your house.
You can also hook the Infinity series up to your mobile devices. This helps make adjustments more convenient but also provides you with energy reports to stay in touch with the efficiency of your system.
Performance Series Gas Furnaces
- Price range: Moderate
- Efficiency: Between 96.5% – 80% annual fuel utilization efficiency
- Additional comfort features: Better
As the name suggests, the Performance Series Gas Furnaces is built with long term function in mind. However, don’t be fooled — the model is almost as quiet as the Infinity series. So what allows this furnace to keep up with the advanced model?
Two things: the variable-speed blower motor and the Performance Edge® thermostat. These systems provide near-constant power from the ECM blower motor while maintaining a low noise setting.
The product also comes with SmartEvap™ technology that allows condensation in the system to fully drain away before turning back on. This feature reduces humidity by 10% by blocking the process of re-humidification.
All the sizes in the Performance Series Gas Furnaces line meet all the Energy Star requirements set forth by the government.
Performance Series Oil Furnaces
- Price range: Moderate
- Efficiency: Between 86.6% – 80% annual fuel utilization efficiency
- Additional comfort features: Better
The Performance Series also comes with an oil-run model if you prefer this type of heating method. We typically recommend oil heating sources for people who live in particularly cold environments.
Why?
Oil burns hotter than natural gas and typically costs ten to fifteen percent less. The oil line of furnaces is especially convenient if you live in a house with space issues.
For example, the Performance 80 Oil Furnace is less than forty inches tall so it can easily fit into typically low clearance spaces like an attic or crowded basement.
The series comes with either a Beckett or Riello highly efficient burner and a complete insulated cabinet. This cabinet combined with flue silencer baffles greatly reduces sound on the oil furnace.
Comfort Series Gas Furnaces
- Price range: Affordable
- Efficiency: Between 96.5% – 80% annual fuel utilization efficiency
- Additional comfort features: Standard
Some people may be trying to save money while looking for a new gas furnace. If you’re sticking to a budget and can’t afford the Infinity or Performance Series, then we recommend going with the Comfort Series Gas Furnaces.
The product features a fixed-speed inducer motor and a clamshell-like primary heat exchanger made of aluminum steel.
The furnace is also Hybrid Heat compatible, which gauges the outside temperature and selects the heating or cooling source that’s most appropriate.
However, it’s important to realize that the Comfort Series Gas Furnace may not be ideal for your home’s climate. We recommend this product for people who live in areas with short winters and long, humid summers.
However, even the standard Carrier furnace comes with a twenty-year heat exchanger limited warranty, so you know it’s built to last.
Comfort Series Oil Furnaces
- Price range: Affordable
- Efficiency: Between 86.6% – 80% annual fuel utilization efficiency
- Additional comfort features: Standard
Like the matching gas series, the Comfort Series Oil Furnaces are designed to keep buildings cozy while on a budget. As such, we recommend it for people who live in cold climates that want the biggest bang for their buck.
However, despite being the cheaper model the Comfort series still comes with a ten-year parts warranty and a twenty-year warranty of the heat exchanger.
The base coat of the product is made of urethane and polyester with a topcoat paint of taupe metallic.
It features the same insulated cabinet and Beckett or Riello burners as the Performance Series. However, you will likely need the Performance thermostat if you want proper humidity control on the system.
Where Can I Purchase A Carrier Furnace?
You can purchase a Carrier furnace at a variety of different locations and online stores. If you want to check out the full range of available products, then you can visit the company’s website.
However, we recommend checking out third-party sellers.
Why?
Certain sellers offer excellent prices and rebate offers of their Carrier furnace systems. Whichever seller you decide to go with make sure you first consult an HVAC specialist before proceeding.
Should I Choose Oil Or Natural Gas?
After going through the Carrier product line you may be wondering which type of furnace is right for you: oil or gas? As we mentioned before, oil is more efficient at heating smaller spaces.
As such we recommend it for small homes in a cold environment. However, oil prices also fluctuate much more rapidly than natural gas prices.
As a result, you could end up paying more than you want. Also, natural gas comes with a lower carbon emission than oil when it’s burned off. So, more environmentally friendly models will likely be natural gas model furnaces.
When Should You Consider Upgrading To A Carrier Furnace?
Furnaces don’t come with a set expiration date — they’re lifetime can vary widely depending on the model and how it’s cared for. Generally, a furnace will usually last between ten and twenty years.
So how do you find out the age of the furnace in a new home? Home Guides recommends contacting the furnace manufacturer with a serial plate number that you can find inside the door.
If your furnace is over fifteen years old, then you should probably consider replacing it. You also need to consider efficiency when looking at furnaces. The older a furnace gets the lower its annual fuel utilization efficiency becomes.
This means that you will spend more money on subpar heating. In these cases, you should always consider replacing.
However, replacing your furnace isn’t always the best option. In some cases, it may be more affordable to replace certain parts. Try contacting an HVAC specialist and getting their opinion before you decide to scrap it or keep it.
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We hope this article helped you find a Carrier furnace that fits the needs of your household. We know that finding the right HVAC system for your house is no easy task.
If you’re interested in home improvement subjects — or other topics like architecture, DIY projects, design and wedding ideas — then make sure to check out more The Wow Decor articles.
