We are thinking of replacing our furnace with a high efficiency one. Ihe brand we are considering are Rheem, coleman and Trane, however, would like some feed back which brand has the best value, reliability and performance.

The brand makes NO difference it is the quality of the install that says it all. Just stating the facts that all units today work well and they all have long warranties BUT the big factor is the quality and experience level of the installer. Find a good installer and you can buy a cheap unit and it will work very well and last a long life.

Most heating contractors have there favorites but that is usually a choice brought about by local distributors promotions etc. Just as it could also be brought about by being able to purchase a certain brand cheaper so they can make a bit more money on the job. See the item below for the real story on what you need to do to get a quality contractor and a superior install.

One final tip. Try to stay away from the variable speed blower drives. They are OK in all aspects except when they break down. After the parts warranty is over they cost a small fortune for parts and labor to repair and in my opinion offer no real advantage over a properly set up 3 or 4 speed standard blower drives. In most cases a properly set up 3 or 4 speed motor will just about last as long as the furnace but not the variable speed units. My access to the latest industry statistics says so and verifies my thoughts all along that the variable speed units need a bit more engineering along with more education of the installers/service people before I would be comfortable recommending them.