These life predictions were average and based on how well the furnace was cared for.
My wife and I have been putting off having our furnace replaced for a few years now. The furnace is old and it technically still heats our home, but it doesn’t run efficiently. No matter what temperature we set it to, our monthly utility bills remain the same. Logically, we knew that we needed to replace the furnace because we were spending more money to heat our home in the long run compared to if we would have purchased a new furnace. When the time came to finally replace the furnace, we spoke with the HVAC company about our options. Neither of us had purchased a furnace before and we wanted to be sure that we were purchasing something that would heat our home efficiently and have a long life. Based on our home and our heating needs, the HVAC company recommended a few furnaces. First, the standard electric furnace which would run anywhere between twenty to twenty five years. Next, the gas furnace, which would run about 15 years. Lastly, the HVAC company recommended a ductless mini split system, but those were reliable for ten to fifteen years. These life predictions were average and based on how well the furnace was cared for. Knowing these numbers helped us decide on an electric furnace. Our old furnace was electric and it worked fine for us, it was just aging. If we took care of the new electric furnace, we wouldn’t need to replace the furnace for another twenty years.