I may need a new furnace, what brand / model do you recommend

[gnihcraes]

Amana Goodman seems to work well, I have a fairly new one and several friends do too. High Effeciency.

but they are "new" style which will require some minor plumbing changes if you don't have fresh air intake... closed combustion...

[ryanek9freak]

Hard to stop a Trane.....

[MarkCO]

Carrier/Bryant and Amana/Goodman are pretty decent. Some of it depends on what AC coil you have (or will get). I assume the Trane comment is a joke, but they are good as well, but not their AC compressors. Most contractors will utilize one brand only. Bryant is the "economy" brand of Carrier as is Goodman for Amana. Same product in most cases, less warranty.

I have two Trane furnances w/ Amana AC units, givng the best of both worlds. High efficiency is all you can really put in by Code, and you really should get a permit, especially if you ever plan on selling the house.

As for the tankless water heaters, strongly recomend you pass. They are good for some applications, but their safeties in general are not enough yet and the cost will NEVER be returned even with a rebate. A high efficieny water heater (with a commercial tank) is a much better option financially and from an efficiency standpoint.

[jerrymrc]

Carrier/Bryant and Amana/Goodman are pretty decent. Some of it depends on what AC coil you have (or will get). I assume the Trane comment is a joke, but they are good as well, but not their AC compressors. Most contractors will utilize one brand only. Bryant is the "economy" brand of Carrier as is Goodman for Amana. Same product in most cases, less warranty.

I have two Trane furnances w/ Amana AC units, givng the best of both worlds. High efficiency is all you can really put in by Code, and you really should get a permit, especially if you ever plan on selling the house.

As for the tankless water heaters, strongly recomend you pass. They are good for some applications, but their safeties in general are not enough yet and the cost will NEVER be returned even with a rebate. A high efficieny water heater (with a commercial tank) is a much better option financially and from an efficiency standpoint.

What is this thing "AC" you speak of?

[GreenScoutII]

you really should get a permit, especially if you ever plan on selling the house.

Yep. Pull a permit. It will end up biting you in the ass if you don't.

As for the tankless water heaters, strongly recomend you pass. They are good for some applications, but their safeties in general are not enough yet and the cost will NEVER be returned even with a rebate. A high efficieny water heater (with a commercial tank) is a much better option financially and from an efficiency standpoint.

Tankless water heaters are not all they are cracked up to be. Typically they run twice to three times the price of a conventional water heater AND frequently the house, or at least a portion of it, will have to have larger gas pipe installed to handle the larger input BTU requirement of a tankless. This will add considerable expense to a retrofit installation.

Yes, I am a certified installer for both Rinnai and Takagi tankless heaters, but I think for most applications a homeowner is better off with a conventional tank style water heater.