Are Hi or Mid efficient furnaces meant for a particular type of house? Absolutely not! Determination is based on what you want to save and how much you want to spend. First thing we are going to look at is the efficiency rating.
An old pilot operated unit is about 55% efficient. This would mean for every 100$ you spend in actual fuel, you would receive 55$ worth of heat in the house and 45$ would go up the chimney. Not good at all.
Mid Efficient would be approximately 80% efficient. This would mean for every 100$ you spend in actual fuel, you would receive 80$ worth of heat in the house and 20$ would go up the chimney. Much better but this can still be beat.
HI Efficient would be approximately 93% to 95% efficient. This would mean for every 100$ you spend in actual fuel, you would receive 93$ to 95$ worth of heat in the house and 5$ to 7$would go out through the exhaust. This is where the savings are.
The difference in installation costs between the Mid and HI are approximately 1500$ to 2000$ difference with the HI being the most costly. This is mainly attributed to more work involved and the cost of the actual unit.
Are Mids better than a HI and less complicated? Not in today’s world. Most decent Mids are just as complicated as a HI. Some installers use this excuse because it is a quick sale and don’t want to do the extra work. The person who looses out is the home owner based on efficiency alone.
In some cases a Mid is the only possible route to go because there is no way to run the new exhaust and intake pipes through a finished ceiling and other obstacle.
How do you decide which is the best choice? Ask yourself how long you plan on staying the home. If the answer is greater than 5 years then your best option is a HI so you can benefit from the savings from the fuel efficiency.
If you are moving in the next year or two and have an existing metal chimney or B Vent then a Mid is the cheap way out. Either way you are better off than your old fuel gobbling clunker that digs deep into you pocket every winter.
