Welcome to Air Makers Inc: Toronto's Trusted HVAC Specialists

• When it comes to replacing your furnace in the Greater Toronto Area, you can educate yourself with the following tips:

• 2 Main Reasons Why You Want To Replace Your Furnace?

  Very often, there are two main reasons why you are looking to replace your existing furnace with a new furnace.

  • 1. Of course, the first reason is that your furnace has broken down and it is either out of warranty or simply too expensive to repair. Similarly, think a scenario where your home furnace has been “red-tagged” or disapproved by any trusted licensed gas fitter inspectors and repairing it just doesn’t justify the high furnace repair cost. Read ways you can "get burnt by furnace fraud" and never be fooled!

  Unfortunately, if your furnace breaks down in the midst of winter and you don’t have heat in your home, your house starts to get colder by the minute and you will not have the time resource or the comfort to educate yourself and arrive at a fully informed decision with respect to the right investment on your home heating system. If you have a fireplace, a woodstove or any other means of a safe heat source, you might get by a little longer but sooner or later you are required to make a quick decision without having the luxury of thorough research and picking the most suitable Toronto Heating and Cooling contractor for you. Which is why we always recommend keeping on top of your home’s appliances, by stay ahead of the game and having your search started and your decision made before the start of winter.

  • 2. And the other condition which usually is a proactive measure is that you just know that the lifetime of furnaces, depending on their quality, installation and maintenace, is anywhere between 15 to 25 years. You know your furnace is getting old and you are either trying to avoid getting caught in a miserable 'No Heat' situation or that you just know your fuel costs are sky-rocketing. (most specifically your gas bills and partially hydro bills when it comes to the majority of our Toronto homes) Again, fortunately and very well for you, you have time on your side to shop around and buy and install the most suitable furnace by the right Toronto HVAC company.

  This page is for any homeowner living in the Greater Toronto Area looking to replace their existing central forced air heating system with a brand-new furnace, given any of the above reasons and more. Again if your furnace in not functioning at this time, you will most probably take some shortcuts in your search practice.

• Natural Gas Is Toronro's #1 Choice of Furnace Fuel Today!

  If you live in the Greater Toronto Area, you are most probably aware that the cost of natural gas has been at its ultimate low and today natural gas furnaces are most widely used amongst Torontonians. See the historical natural gas rates page. Natural Gas rates have displayed consistent decline from about 35c in April 2006 to less than 9c per cubic meter as of July 2012. See natural gas prices today: Click here.

  Because of this low operational cost incentive, many Toronto homes are now replacing any non-natural gas fuel source to natural gas and gas distribution companies are taking an ever-increasing proactive measure in efforts to supply all of Torontonians with natural gas and gas meters. We have many clients everyday who want to change from oil or electric furnaces to natural gas furnaces. If you are a Toronto resident currently not having a gas meter, you should think seriously about switching to natural gas and applying for a gas meter. There are also many incentives, like free installation and even considerable cash or gift card incentives for you to switch to natural gas.

  So do take advantage of these low operational costs, if you are already not, and start seeing quick changes on your utility bills.

  Also, please don’t forget that home central furnaces, use electricity to operate their blower motor for forced-air distribution. So do keep in mind the hydro cost incurred by operating the blower when it comes to purchasing your new furnace. This will be discussed in more details where we discuss about important furnace features with which you should most certainly educate yourself when it comes to making a decision to replace your furnace.

• What Is The Right Size Furnace For My Toronto Home?

  Okay, so based on the above and so far we have accomplished that we are replacing our existing furnace with a high-efficiency gas furnace. The next step is to determine the size (the required energy output) of the furnace that would be required for our home to keep it comfortable even on the coldest day of the year.

  This is in detail explained in our furnace and A/C sizing guide page. It is beneficial for you to read through this page but most important factors to remember in determining the size of your furnace is first noting the existing size of your furnace (output heating value expressed in BTU/hr). Keeping in mind that it is important to have the right size, as opposed to under or over-sized – and remembering that most furnaces in our Canadian homes are oversized, we can in most cases use the charts on our sizing guide page to find out the right size given the age and square footage of your home.

• What Features Should I Look For When Comparing High-Efficiency Furnaces?

  Now that you know how much heat output your home requires, it is now time to look into different furnace models that best suit your needs and match your budget at the same time. Matching your budget does not mean only looking at the initial cost of installation. You should seriously not over-look the value of an attractive payback period. Look at it as an investment you are making in the heating system of your home.

  For example, if a furnace costs $2,000 and another furnace costs $2,400, the $2,400 furnace might save you an additional $150 per year, which means that you have a payback period of $400/$150=2.7 years. Any payback period giving you a return on your investment within 5 years, is considered a smart investment. In the above case, if you purchased and installed the $2,400 furnace, not only you will recover the difference in 2 years and 8-9 months, but for every year that passes you are saving yourself from paying an extra $150. However, if the $2,400 furnace only saved you $50 in comparison with the $2,000 furnace, then your payback is 10 years, which may be pushing it a little - depending on your inital budget.

  So how do you know which furnace is economical? Or maybe you should also ask: How do I know which furnace will me you more Comfort? Afterall, sometimes you can't put a price on comfort.

  • When looking at different furnace brands and models available in Toronto, there are 3-4 factors and features that determine if you are making an economical investment:

  • First, how much is the complete installed price plus HST?
  • What are the estimated operational cost of this furnace? The following 3 factors directly influence the operational cost of a high-efficiency gas furnace:

  •       The furnace's rated AFUE
  •       The type of blower motor featured on the furnace
  •       The type of inducer motor
  •       And the eligible rebates on the particular furnace model

  With answering the above questions - which will be discussed in more details in the following sections - you can do a complete cost analysis to determine the economic aspect of your choices and make a decision stricly based on an economical point of view!
  But wait! It isn't ALL about a direct econimical analysis. Sometimes, and depending on your circumstances, you just can't put a price on comfort. So what other furnace features and functionalities should you look for in a furnace?

  • Number of Heating Stages: single-stage? two-stage? three-stage? or fully modulating?
  • ECM Blower Motor?
  • ECM Inducer Motor?
  You should also consider the following when installing your new high-efficiency furnace:
  • Available Parts and Labour Warranty of the furnace?
  • And Rebates, as mentioned above.
• How Much Does It Cost To Have My New Furnace Installed?

  You can find pricing on our Payne Furnaces as well as Goodman Furnaces, if you live in the Greater Toronto Area. We are limited by Carrier Corp and Lennox industries not to provide pricing on Carrier and Lennox furnaces online. So please give us a call or ask us for a free, no-obligation, in-home estimate. Contact Us Today!

• What Does AFUE Mean and Why Is It Important?

  AFUE stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. The fuel in this case being natural gas. Althought electricity is also used for the operation of the furnace blower and inducer motor, when it comes to AFUE we are only referring to the source of fuel that is used to generate heat.

  Given that the AFUE is an efficiency term, the AFUE of a gas furnace is rated from a scale of 0 to 100% gas consumption efficiency. Today in Toronto, any furnace with an AFUE of 94%, is considered a high-efficiency furnace - based on Canadian government regulations. This used to be at 90% followed by 92%, previously.

  What do you think the AFUE of your furnace is? Although, this number might not be readily available, you could always calculate it based on information that should be supplied on the furnace sticker - usually inside the furnace, meaning that you have to open the furnace front door to get this info. The AFUE is the OUTPUT heating power/INPUT heating power. The INPUT and OUTPUT values are always displayed on the furnace sticker. For a 20 to 30 year old Toronto furnace, you are usually looking at around 70% AFUE. Please do remember that the AFUE, depending on the quality of the furnace and the manner in which it has been maintained throughout the years, will slowly decline over the years. So, for instance, if a 25 year old furnace is rated to have an AFUE of 70%, its true efficiency is probably at around 60% after 25 years of hard work. This value can be far less depending on the furnace maintenance record.

  • If you have a furnace that is about 20 years old or older, its AFUE is probably around 60% at the present moment- which means that for every dollar you are paying to heat your home, only 60 cents is used towards actually heating your home. The other 40 cents is absolutely wasted. So when you replace the furnace with - say an Infinity Carrier model 59MN7A which has an AFUE of 98.5%, you will only waste 1.5 cents as compared to 40 cents which will save you 38.5 cents out of every dollar you pay to heat your home.

• What Do The Number Of Heating 'Stages' indicate And Why Should I Care?

  If you are on this page, chances are your furnace is a single-stage furnace. There are always exceptions, of course, but in dealing with Toronto’s furnace replacement market, it's been the trend. Now what is the difference with a single or a 2-stage or a 3-stage furnace? What is a modulating furnace?

  In a multi-stage furnace, there exists a gas valve which regulates gas flow rate into the furnace burner. In a single-stage furnace, the natural gas is always flowing at its full 100% capacity.

  In a 2-stage furnace, the furnace usually - depending on thermostat settings - first comes on the lower heating stage, which is associated with about 60% of its full natural gas flowrate capacity. If the furnace operation was not successful in reaching the thermostat setpoint in, say, 10 to 16 minutes, the gas regulator valve will completely open to allow full flow and therefore increase the supply rate of heat to your home.

  The same concept lies under a 3-stage furnace, except that instead of 2 different settings at 60% open and fully open, the gas valve now has 3 settings, another one at around 40%. A 3-stage furnace can often be referred to as a modulating furnace which is different from a true modulating furnace.

  Now a true modulating furnace is one that has over 40-50 settings on its gas valve regulator with small incremental change from 30 to 100% opening. Carrier's INFINITY 98 is an example of a true modulating furnace that will not only modulate up but it also is the only furnace in the world that can modulate down, as well.

  So what is the big deal with the number of stages? Why is that beneficial for you?

  Well, in answer to this question, let’s start by looking at a scenario. You have a single-stage furnace. You have the temperature reading at 20C and the furnace is now off. You feel a bit cold so you get up, go to the thermostat and set the temperature at 21C. The furnace will kick in and since this is a single-stage furnace you know that the gas valve is fully open and your furnace is operating at its full capacity in raising the temperature by 1C. What you might notice is that it suddenly starts to get too hot. You get up and go to the thermostat again and you see that the thermostat is actually reading 23C and the furnace has just turned off. You will get to be a little cooler as the temperature drops a little under the setpoint of 21C, which is when the furnace wil kick back in. These temperature fluctuations are as a direct result of lack of control over the fuel flow rate to the burners that supply heat. Obviously, when the amount of gas flow rate is not controlled, how can you have a tight control on the rate of supplied heat and therefore, temperature in your home? Surely, you have all experienced these ups and downs if your furnace is in fact a single-stage furnace. Now imagine how the amount of heat which directly affects the temperature in your home can be controlled with a gradual change. The more the number of heating stages, the better control you have on keeping the temperature at the desired setpoint at all times. Now you can imagine the tightest control possible with a fully modulating furnace.

  Ask us about the other technology all Carrier multi-stage furnaces possesss to ensure the tightest temp control. It’s a patented technology by Carrier called adaptive logic.

  There are generally, then, two main advanatges that multi-stage furnaces bring to your home and the higher the number of heating stages, the more extensive the following:

  • tighter control on temperature resulting in more even temperatures and eliminating fluctuations
  • furnace operation will be quieter because most often the furnace will have to make very small change to temperature - if it's kept at a constant desired setpoint - and so usually only the first stages of operation will be acting. Lower gas flow rate is associated with lower sound as increase of pressure in flow will be accompanied by more vibration and therefore more noise.

  Misconception About Number Of Heating Stages And Saving Energy

  Just know that the number of furnace stages do not have a direct effect on the efficiency and rate of gas cunsumption. You always require the same amount of energy in order to heat your house. When the furnace is operating on the higher stages, it will use more gas in a shorter period. Whereas on a lower stage, furnace would end up using the same energy but in the manner of less power in a longer period - which works out to have the same consumption level.

• How Many Different Blower Motors Are Normally Used In Furnaces Available In Toronto?

  We can categorize blowers into three main categories:

  • PSC blowers - Single speed
    These blower motors consume the AC city electricity in the same AC form and always run at the same frequency. These are the very basic blower motors used in the heating industry today. They will, of course, beat the efficiency of a 20-year old furnace blower by a mile, as they are about 30% more efficient than the old blower motors. However, don't limit your options. They would not have the quietest operation and will not maximize your comfort.
  • ECM X13 - multi-speed motors
    ECM stands for Electronically-Commutated Motors and all ECM motors will first convert from AC electricity (the type of city electricity) to DC power. There are two direct advanatges that will result from DC power: DC Power has a lower and more efficient power consumption as opposed to AC power and converting to DC power will allow for modifying the motor speed - hence the term variable-speed. These are not true variable speed motors, rather they usually have around 4 different speed settings. They are about twice more efficient in electricity consumption than PSC single-speed blowers. The general sense is that they will be quieter, also considering that the furnaces are designed to work on lower heating and speed stages.
  • ECM - True Variable Speed
    Unlike the mutil-speed motors, there are many more different speed settings increasing at small increments. They can be 4 times more efficient than ECM X13 motors. They are in use in Carrier's INFINITY furnace models.

  Operational Cost Comparison Between The Above 3 Types Of Furnace Blower Motors

  Let's assume, first, that your old furnace's blower motor runs for a full year 24/7. Assuming an average household in Toronto - and assuming average electricity costs - you will incur a cost of about $600 towards your hydro bill alone.

  This value will cut down to around $400 if you end up purchasing a furnace that features a signle-speed blower using AC electricity.

  With an ECM X13 blower motor, you are looking at reducing this rate to $200.

  And finally with the true variable speed ECM, also using DC power, you will be able to further cut the hydro cost to an unbelievable $40. Amazing, don't you think?

  Improving Hot And Cold Spots + Quieter operation

  Read our blog post on Carrier's COMFORTHEAT Technology and find out in detail how ECM motors in Carrier furnaces improve the quality of your home comfort.

  ECM Inducer Motors

  Similar to blower motors, inducer motors can be ECM as well. An inducer motor or also referred to as a ventor motor, which basically drives the burnt flue gas (essentially carbon dioxide formed as a result of combustion of natural gas) out of the high-efficiency furnace and outside your home.

  An ECM inducer motor will result in quieter as well as a more efficient operation. So you might want to ask about the inducer motor of the furnace of your choice.

• In Search of The Perfect Furnace For Your Toronto Home, Also Consider All Warranty Options!

  For maximizing your peace of mind with respect to your furnace installation and operation, be sure to explore all warranty options and differences. At most times, you will be given extended warranty options. Ask about those. The norm in our Toronto furnace market is a 10-year manufacturer part's warranty. Don't forget to have the labour warranty mentioned on your contract with the heating and cooling company. Normally, the equipment installed will not have factory labour warranty - which is why the labour warranty is usually offered by the installing contractor. 1 or 2 years of labour warranty is reasonable. Anything longer, you must look over your entire contract to search for fineprints indicating any conditions on the extended labour warranty.

  Please remember that it is truly unrealistic to have a 5 to 10 year labour warranty without making sure that the proper measures are taken with respect to furnace maintenance. You need to think twice about your purchase if you are given a 5 to 10-year labour warranty with no obligations from your part with respect to maintenance. You will end up either with a bankrupt company and therefore no labour warranty - OR you will end up getting charged regardless.

  Be sure to know exactly where each warranty comes from. The installing company or the manufacturer? Manufacturer warranty is most credible. To have the manufacturer labour warranty, it is usually extra and must be purchased through the installing heating and cooling company from the manufacturer. Weigh all options.

  Also be sure to ask about the warranty on the Heat Exchangers. The norm right now, is a life-time factory parts warranty on the primary and secondary heat exchangers.

  At Air Makers Inc, we often include with our most basic warranty packages the following:

  • 10 years parts warranty from manufacturer
  • lifetime parts warranty on primary and secondary Heat Exchangers from manufacturer, and
  • 10 years labour warranty from Air Makers Inc
    Any labour warranty over two years offered by Air Makers will require chargeable annual maintenance and check-up - starting on the 3rd year and for about $80 per year.
• What Rebates Are In Place, When I Replace My Old Existing Furnace In Toronto With A High-Efficiency Furnace?

  You can count on two rebate programs at the moment:

  • Ontario Power Authority (OPA) rebate offered by any Toronto HVAC contractor that is an HRAI member.
    This is a $250 rebate if you replace your furnace with any high-efficincy furnace that features an ECM motor.
  • As of December 15, all manufacturer's warranties are void.

  TORONTO HIGH-EFFICIENCY FURNACE PRICES & REBATES: Carrier, Payne, Goodman

With Air Makers, you as a customer are promised superior expertise, highest quality products and services and highly trained advisors along with trusted customer care, installation and service staff. Our business is driven by a fundamental sense of responsibility and we take great pride in customer satisfaction.

Below, please find the prices listed for high-efficiency furnaces. Any provided prices cover everything from the beginning to the end of installation. Please note that in rare cases, to remove the old furnace or to install a new one, we may have to perform extra work such as removing your Hot Water Tank. Depending on their nature, these extras are chargeable.

Infinity™ 98 Furnace	Infinity™ 96 Furnace	Performance™ 96 Furnace	Performance™ 96 single-stage	Comfort™ Furnace

MODEL	EFFICIENCY (AFUE)	FURNACE STAGES	FURNACE BLOWER MOTOR			SIZE (BTU/hr) x 1000
						60	80	100	120
59MN7A Infinity™ 98	98%	fully modulating	ECM (DC): true variable speed	+ $250 OPA rebate	+$300 rebate **	call	call	call	call
59TN6A Infinity™ 96	96%	2-stage	ECM (DC): true variable speed	+ $250 OPA rebate	+$220 rebate **	call	call	call	call
59TP5A Performance™ 96	96%	2-stage	ECM X13 (DC)	+ $250 OPA rebate	+$130 rebate **	call	call	call	call
59SP5A Performance™ 96	96%	single stage	ECM X13 (DC)	+ $250 OPA rebate	+$65 rebate **	call	call	call	call
59SC5A Comfort™ 96	96%	single stage	constant speed (AC) PCS	n/a	n/a	call	call	call	call
13% HST is extra. 10-year parts factory warranty + up to 10 years labour warranty applies. Lifetime parts warranty on primary and secondary Heat Exchangers is standard manufacturer's warranty. **Ask us about the Carrier Cool Cash chart to find out the Carrier Cool Cash rebate if this Carrier furnace is purchased in combination with a Carrier A/C or any other Carrier products and note any restriction

Infinity™ ICS Furnace	Infinity™ 96 Furnace	Performance™ 96 Furnace	Performance™ Boost 90 Furnace	Base Furnace

MODEL	EFFICIENCY (AFUE)	FURNACE STAGES	FURNACE BLOWER MOTOR			SIZE (BTU/hr) x 1000
						60	80	100	120
58MCB Base*	92.1%	single-stage	constant speed (AC) PSC	n/a	n/a	call	call	call	call
58MEC Performance™ Boost 90	92.5%	2-stage	ECM X13 (DC)	$250 OPA rebate	+$130 rebate **	call	call	call	call
58UVB Performance™ 96	95%	2-stage	ECM (DC): true variable speed	$250 OPA rebate	+$130 rebate **	call	call	call	call
58MVB Infinty™ 96	95%	2-stage	ECM (DC): true variable speed	$250 OPA rebate	+$220 rebate **	call	call	call	call
58MVC Infinity™ ICS	95%	3-stage (modulating)	ECM (DC): true variable speed	$250 OPA rebate	+$300 rebate **	call	call	call	call
13% HST is extra. 10-year parts factory warranty + up to 10 years labour warranty applies. Lifetime parts warranty on primary and secondary Heat Exchangers plus 20 years of labour warranty on the replacement of the secondary Heat Exchanger is standard manufacturer's warranty. *The base model carries the same warranty as mentioned above, with the exception of 20 years parts warranty on primary and secondary Heat Exchangers instead of lifetime. **Ask us about the Carrier Cool Cash chart to find out the Carrier Cool Cash rebate if this Carrier furnace is purchased in combination with a Carrier A/C or any other Carrier products and note any restriction

Please disqualify the ecoENERGY rebate as of March 31, 2012.

The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) rebate also known as the Heating and Cooling Incentive Program is valid throughout 2012.

PG9MAB	PG9MXA	PG9UAA

MODEL	EFFICIENCY (AFUE)	FURNACE STAGES	FURNACE BLOWER MOTOR		SIZE (BTU/hr) x 1000
					60	80	100	120
PG9MAB similar to Carrier Base model	92.1%	single-stage	constant speed (AC)	n/a	$2,000	$2,100	$2,450	$2,650
PG9MXA similar to Carrier Performance Boost 90	92.5%	2-stage	ECM (DC)	$250 OPA rebate	$2,300	$2,400	$2,800	$3,000
PG9UAA similar to Carrier Performance 96	95.0%	2-stage	ECM (DC): true variable speed	$250 OPA rebate	$2,650	$2,800	$3,150	$3,300
13% HST is extra. 10-year parts factory warranty + up to 10 years labour warranty applies. 20 years parts warranty on primary and secondary Heat Exchangers plus 20 years of labour warranty on the replacement of the secondary Heat Exchanger is standard manufacturer's warranty.

GKS9	GMH95	GMVC95

MODEL	EFFICIENCY (AFUE)	FURNACE STAGES	FURNACE BLOWER MOTOR		SIZE (BTU/hr) x 1000
					45	70	90	115
GKS9	92.1%	single-stage	constant speed (AC)	n/a	$1,750	$1,800	$1,950	$2,200
GMH95	95.0%	2-stage	constant speed (AC)	n/a	$1,850	$1,900	$2,050	$2,300
GMVC95	95.0%	2-stage	ECM (DC)	$250 OPA rebate	$2,400	$2,500	$2,800	$3,000
13% HST is extra. 10-year parts factory warranty + up to 10 years labour warranty applies.