"Martik" wrote in message
news

You will
probably find that your payout on a $3000 furnace would take
forever.

Not forever, but longer than the unit will last.

The payback is negative if the (fuel savings - high maintenance costs) are
less than the investment return on the $3000.

Actually...lets get one thing clear.
There is never a payback period.
None.
Ever.

You buy the unit....its saving you $XX a month. Big deal. You still have to
pay to run it, and you still have to buy fuel for it. Unless you are using
an old 1950 Chrysler Airtemp with a gas valve pressure thats so damn off its
blowing black soot, and running the unit so hot its TR is about 100F above
factory spec, and have been doing that for years, even a 94% wont really do
much but lower the expense per month to use the unit.

Payoff periods are a sales technique that the public actually enjoys. I dont
use them. Someone asks me what the payoff period for a new unit is, I tell
them about 15 minutes after I hand you the bill....it will take that long to
read the warranty to you and familiarize you with the controls, and for you
to write a check....then of course, we pull out the States calculation sheet
and show them what they might save....thats MIGHT.

If you have a $400 a month gas bill, and you put in a unit and its only
using $200 a month, you STILL have a $200+ a month investment in the unit.

IF you have a gas unit thats using $200 a month and you put in a heat pump
that eliminates your fuel bill, but raises your electrical by $100 a month,
you still have $100 a month going into that machine.

Payoff? Depends on how you look at it. Some see it different than others.