"Big Giant Head" wrote in message
m...

Before worrying about a more efficient furnace have you done
everything else to make your home more efficient? Do you have double
windows, and a thick, even insulation in your attic and crawl space
under the house? Did you check all your ducting to make sure there
arent any leaks and that it is well insulated? Are all your outside
walls insulated? If you do all of these you probably wont even need a
more efficient furnace, and you wont need an expert to insulate.

Excellent points but I'm pretty sure the existing furnace has a cracked
heat exchanger and replacement is mandatory immediately. (See seperate
thread about that.)


To check for cracks in the heat exchanger , close off all heat registers.
Run furnace and when blower starts watch the burner flame. If there is a
crack the air pressure will blow against the flame and you can see that
movement. That is how the gas utility checks it. WW






But since you asked, no the house is terribly inefficient. Built in 1957
with metal window frames, no insulation in the walls, concrete slab floor.
It does seem laughable to have a super efficient furnace in combination
with those things and if one were choosing what to put money into, it would
be these other things first.

On the other hand, all of those things mean more heat is required and a
super efficent furnace is going to make more heat with less money. If
rebate and tax credit pay for most of the difference then maybe this is the
way to go.