A great value gas furnace must be above average in quality and reliability, while also being priced competitively to make our list.
Low-quality, cheap gas furnaces don’t offer the best value because they don’t last long enough to justify the installation expense in the first place. Low quality furnaces are also more prone to breaking down in the middle of a nasty stretch of cold weather.
Value = good quality + reasonable cost
Your climate suitability for a particular model and the quality of the installation job also play an important role in the overall value you get.
Top 10 Gas Furnaces that Deliver the Best Value for the Money
- Day & Night G96VTN QuietComfort 96
- Trane S9X1
- Goodman GMVC96
- Payne 95 PG95ESA
- Armstrong Air A951E
- Goodman GMSS92
- Carrier Comfort 92 59SC2
- Day & Night N80ESN Performance 80
- Rheem Classic Series R801C/R801S
- Trane S8X1
That’s our list – and each model is reviewed below including cost, efficiency, performance, warranty and why it makes our list.
Before those reviews, we cover information about what makes for a good value gas furnace, installation costs, the cost of ductwork, if you need it, and other relevant information.
If you’d rather jump to the furnaces, select the Day & Night furnace that heads the list, and you’ll be taken directly to the reviews.
Gas Furnace Installation Cost – Warrantied Professional Installation/Labor
The professional installation part of your bill will be about $2,600 on average, if your installation is of average difficulty.
The range is from about $1,500 for a very simple installation (not including the furnace) in new construction (not including the cost of ductwork) to about $4,000 (not including the furnace) for more involved jobs where the gas line needs replacing and/or other variables come into play, requiring more materials and warrantied professional labor. A high-end, touchscreen, WiFi thermostat can also boost the cost of the overall job with a price tag of $500 or more.
Here’s a gas furnace installation cost breakdown showing where your money typically goes:
The plenum connects the furnace to the hot air ducts. The return connects the furnace to the cold air return ducts.