Which Brand of Furnace or Air Conditioner is Best?

The question has been asked forever. And the answer has actually evolved over time. There was a time when different manufacturers of HVAC equipment produced varying degrees of product quality. With the advent of programs that have been put into place by major manufactures in recent years to concentrate on product quality, such as ISO 9000 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9000, the quality gap that once existed has narrowed. Now, the fear of lower quality is not as significant of a concern as in days past. The biggest differences in HVAC equipment today is that of proprietary technologies that each manufacturer offers.

Another argument for the above statement, that quality standards have improved and most of the perception of one brand being better then another are not as viable these days it the fact that almost every major manufacturer makes multiple brands - and in almost every case, the equipment is identical except for the color and/or the logo sticker. Here are the majors.

1. American Standard also makes Trane.
2. Carrier also makes Bryant, Payne, and Day & Night.
3. York makes Luxaire, Coleman, Evcon.
4. Nordyne also makes Philco, Gibson, Westinghouse, Frigidaire, Tappan, Gibson, Intertherm, Miller.
5. Rheem also makes Ruud and Weatherking
6. ICP also makes Heil, Tempstar, Comfortmaker, Arcoaire, Keeprite.
7. Goodman also makes Amana.

Some dealers will claim that there is a big difference between brands, but the independent testing shows only a few that consistently come out on top. The most interesting thing about the independent testing is that their difference between brands in reliability isn’t very much more than what is allowed for statistical accuracy.

Now that you know that, the brand that has come out most consistently at the top of the list of a consumer product rating organization is American Standard. But, the funny part is that Trane has come out typically 3rd place, putting it lower in the list when it is essentially the identical equipment. There are a couple of other brands that experience the exact same thing. Because of this, it becomes difficult to put too much stock in the rating game.
Feel confident that whatever do finally purchase, it is held to such a high manufacturing standard that quality should be a low priority of concern. The most important issue is to make sure that what you purchase is correct for your application, and that it is installed by a qualified technician.