QCC Heating:
Cozy and Warm with
Your New Trane Furnace

Replacing your furnace is a decision that can affect you for the next twenty years. At Quality Climate Control we feel it is our duty to make sure you have all the information you need to make such an important decision. There are eight basic models of furnaces that we sell and install – which one is for you? First, lets start with some deciding factors.

Cost of Operation

As with all Trane Furnaces, no matter which one you choose you can be sure you are getting “the most reliable furnace on the market” (Consumer Reports, 2004). Consumer Reports goes on to say, "Overall, about one-sixth of all furnaces installed in the past eight years had needed repair. We found only minor differences between new installations and replacements. Among our other survey findings: Nearly 60 percent of repairs were to furnaces that had failed completely and stopped producing heat. Almost 40 percent of repairs involved homes left unheated for at least 24 hours. Almost 40 percent of repairs cost $150 or more. According to our survey data, the vast majority of repairs involved a problem with the furnace itself, not with its installation. Itís important to choose not only a good installer but also a reliable brand." However, a strong determining factor is the cost of operation.

The two main categories to choose from are the 90% (ranging from 92.5% to 93%) and the 80% efficient furnaces. These percentage terms refer strictly to fuel (I.E. natural gas, propane, etc.) efficiency ONLY. Put simply, for every dollar you spend on fuel $0.93 will be used to heat your home and $0.07 will be wasted out of the flue – this is in the case of the 90% efficient furnaces. Respectively a ratio of $0.80/$0.20 can be expected with an 80% efficient furnace. The typical retail difference between an 80% furnace and a 90% furnace is around $1,000.00, which can be made back in 2-6 years through energy savings depending on the size of your home.

There are other deciding factors in choosing 80% versus 90%. In many older homes there are code requirements associated with installing an 80% efficient furnace that quickly eat away at the $1,000.00 difference in cost. For example, if you need a chimney liner to bring your chimney flue up to code (retails around $650.00) and combustion air brought to the mechanical room (average retail around $300.00) you are suddenly spending an additional $950.00, none of which will bring you future energy savings. In these cases a 90% efficient furnace is more practical because of its two-pipe system delivering combustion air and expelling flue gasses out a near sidewall.

In both the 80% and 90% line of equipment you also have the option to select 2-stage operation. The advantages of 2-stage furnaces affect both gas and electrical use. A typical input of gas pressure measured in water column is 3.5”. Two-stage furnaces have the ability to run at a lower setting allowing only 1.7” water column of gas to be used while at the same time using a lower fan speed – both of which save you money. More importantly furnace sizing (download a sample load calculation pdf here) is based on a design temperature difference of 70 degrees in Colorado, for example, between the inside and outside of the home. This means that only in the harshest of conditions do you actually need the full capacity of your furnace. In fact, your 2-stage furnace is likely to run in its lower stage 85% of the time! A typical difference in retail value between a single stage furnace and a 2-stage furnace is around $350.00; an investment that can be bought back in 2-3 years depending on the size of your home.

Moving up farther in performance, available in both the 80% and 90% models is the variable speed furnace. There are many furnaces available today from various manufacturers but few are ACTUALLY variable speed. More than just having multiple speeds available, the Trane variable speed furnace actually senses static pressure and accordingly ranges through fifty-four different speeds to not only optimize energy use but also alleviates a lot of the problems associated with poorly run duct work which is all together too common.

Airflow Chart

The most amazing part about this technology is not only does it make an amazing difference in comfort levels by eliminating hot and cold spots in your home but is also very inexpensive to run. This is especially important to homeowners who use their furnace full time with heating, cooling and fan circulation for air cleaners and humidifiers. Here is a comparison of the power usage of a single stage motor versus a true variable speed motor.

Let's talk more about comfort. As you know, warm air rises while cool air descends. Thinking about your home you could easily join countless customers we talk with that are unsatisfied by the warmer temperatures upstairs in their home in the summer or cooler temperatures downstairs in the winter. With a Trane variable speed furnace in your home using as little as 60 watts of electricity you can easily now afford to leave the fan in your furnace on a continuous cycle mixing the air in your home to even out those temperatures. Look at this example below:

Continuous Fan Picture

Click here for a larger image.

An upgrade from a single stage furnace to a variable speed furnace is around $600.00 – an investment that can be earned back in 1-2 years in almost ALL cases! Further, read these testimonials from happy Trane variable speed furnace owners:

This variable speed customer with an XL15i, Trane Clean Effects, and power humidifier system had this to say:

"I just wanted to tell you that as the weather changes to cooler temperatures, I am reminded of the wonderful job you did with our furnace this time last year. Cool nights, warm ambient air in the morning. With the AC, our summer nights were cool and quiet as well. We are loving the system! Magnificent! Thank you very much for a wonderful job."

- Jeff, Mary Beth, Schuyler, and Joseph

This customer who was remodeling his home had this to say after purchasing a variable speed system:

"I was surprised the first time I walked in the house. I could not believe how even the heat was. Having always owned old Denver homes I got used to cold spots. I am so glad I made this decision."

- Jean-Marc

What Size is Right for You?

Simply stated – undersized equipment will not be able to do the job on really cold days and oversized equipment is a flat out waste of your money on energy costs. When a representative from Quality Climate Control visits your home they will without fail perform a load calculation free of charge to you! Beyond the problems you will have heating your home with improperly sized equipment you may also experience problems when you opt to add an air conditioning system to your home. Air conditioning is a very balanced operation. If a furnace is too large for your air conditioner it will not cool your home, and if the furnace is too small your coil will become and a virtual ice block negating any air flow. This is discussed in greater detail here.

Many companies use a rule of thumb for sizing furnaces based on square footage, but how can this be accurate when from neighborhood to neighborhood houses have different insulation values in their walls, attics, and floors? What about windows? Will a house with triple pane wood framed windows retain heat and keep cold out the way a house with single pane metal framed windows will? The answer is no. The only way to be sure is to run a load calculation. After all, houses with rooms that raise multiple stories in height have less square footage than a house where the floors are completely divided. Both houses have different square footage but the same volume – which requires the bigger furnace?

Comfort

Of course our home is the one place we go to truly relax. The climate of your home is going to have a huge impact on your comfort level. More than a simple on and off function the technological advancements in furnaces can serve to a) provide more even heating and cooling, b) eliminate hot and cold spots, c) overcome poorly run ductwork, and d) give you the ability to have 2-stage cooling in your home. Trane furnaces are known for their quiet operation, especially in the 90% efficiency line. A quiet, efficient, comfortable environment for your home is within your reach; Quality Climate Control and Trane can help you get there.

Browse the Trane furnaces below and their comfort features and call us today!

XV 90

Variable speed blower
Variable speed inducer motor
SEER enhancement
Air purification mode (continuous fan)
Enhanced humidity control
2 stage heating
Slow opening gas valve making a quieter operation
Quiet operation enhancements
Adaptive silicon nitride ignitor
Fully insulated and gasketed cabinet and door
10 year Xli warranty bonus
5 yr part warranty
Lifetime heat exchanger warranty

XL90

Variable speed inducer motor

2 stage heating
Slow opening gas valve making a quieter operation
Quiet operation enhancements
Adaptive silicon nitride ignitor
Fully insulated and gasketed cabinet and door
10 year Xli warranty bonus
5 yr part warranty

Lifetime heat exchanger warranty

XR90

Single stage heating
Quiet operation enhancements
Adaptive silicon nitride ignitor
Fully insulated and gasketed cabinet and door
10 year Xli warranty bonus
5 yr part warranty

Lifetime heat exchanger warranty

XB90

Builder model
Single Stage Heating
Electronic ignition instead of pilot light
5 yr part warranty
Lifetime heat exchanger warranty

XV 80

Variable speed blower
2 stage inducer motor
SEER enhancement
Air purification mode (continuous fan)
Enhanced humidity control
2 stage heating
Slow opening gas valve making a quieter operation
Quiet operation enhancements
Adaptive silicon nitride ignitor
Fully insulated and gasketed cabinet and door
10 year Xli warranty bonus
5 yr part warranty
20 yr heat exchanger warranty

XL80

2 stage heating
Slow opening gas valve making a quieter operation
2 stage inducer motor
Quiet operation enhancements
Adaptive silicon nitride ignitor
Fully insulated and gasketed cabinet and door
10 year Xli warranty bonus
5 yr part warranty

20 yr heat exchanger warranty

XR80

Single stage heating
Quiet operation enhancements
Adaptive silicon nitride ignitor
Fully insulated and gasketed cabinet and door
10 year Xli warranty bonus
5 yr part warranty

20 yr heat exchanger warranty

XB80

Builder model
Single Stage Heating
Electronic ignition instead of pilot light
5 yr part warranty
20 yr heat exchanger warranty

QCC Heating: Cozy and Warm with Your New Trane Furnace