We’re looking to get our HVAC system replaced. I’ve received 4 different quotes. I don’t have any expertise here at all. This is confusing as they all use different brands:
Amana
American Standard
Bryant
Rheem
All quoted system appear to be in the same efficiency, tons, seers, etc. range.
Does brand make that much difference? If so, any opinions?
Any suggestions on things to consider beyond the obvious service warranties and price and such when making a final decision? All companies who have submitted warranties have good reviews and recommendations.
Thanks!
It has been over a decade since I purchased HVAC units for a residence, but at that time Trane & Lennox were the best.
But the technician & the service company are probably just as or more important than the hardware so long as it is not the Texas company (Goodman) well known for producing cheap & soon to be defective units.
P.S. But a lot can change over a decade (although Goodman remains the same).
My husband is an engineer in HVAC
Per his choices:
Amana–NO
American Standard —a lower version of Trane. He would buy a Trane rather than American Standard.
Bryant — Yes. 1st choice
Reem — Yes. 2nd choice
He would choose between Bryant and Reem based on contractor. In other words if Reem has the better contractor 1st and 2nd choice would reverse.
We will probably be getting one of these.
https://www.weil-mclain.com
Ours is oil fired.
Our unit went out last year and the HVAC guy recommended two options. One was more expensive and quieter. The less expensive option was supposedly the same quality but louder. Since we didn’t care about noise, we got the less expensive option which was a Payne (lower end unit of Carrier/Bryant). We also don’t plan to be in our house for much longer so we didn’t feel like spending more $$ than necessary. It’s working fine for us so far.
Interesting info about brands I found while googling:
"…the majority of central air conditioners are made by a handful of companies, marketing merely makes it looks as if you have a wider range of choices. The major manufacturers are:
Trane, which also makes American Standard
United Technology, which owns Carrier, Bryant, Payne, Day & Night, Heil and Tempstar
Lennox, which owns Ducane, Armstrong, Concord, Allied and AirEase
Rheem, which owns Ruud
Goodman, which makes Amana and Janitrol
York, which makes Coleman and Luxaire
Nortek Global HVAC, which makes Maytag, Westinghouse, Frigidaire, Kelvinator and others
Finding consensus between experts, owners and HVAC contractors is never easy. However, as is the case most years, the Lennox brand is generally – though not universally – well regarded.
…the biggest reason why brands like Lennox, Carrier and Trane are considered to be better than others is that those companies are “selective about who they let install their products.”
The consensus of my google results also concurred that proper installation was almost as important as the brand.
Yes, my research shows the same - like household appliances, actually very few manufacturers, and installation is important.
I agree on Bryant. Bryant is part of United Technologies Corp. I have UTC Furnaces (Day and Night) in both of my houses, one on natural gas and the other on propane. Both are 96% efficiency, one dual stage, and one single stage. One negative I have heard about Bryant is their split system controllers and thermostats are not the best. You are probably better off with EcoBee or Nest.
We will need a new natural gas boiler at some point. Do not want a forced air furnace after experiencing the non-drying heat from our hydroair system. 
Same deal - installer matters. Most of those higher end boilers have one or four star reviews… guess who wrote the one star ones.