I need a new gas furnace. I have an old house. Is a smart furnace advisable for this house. I heard it's very sensitive. so it's only good for new homes. Is this true? If I buy a smart furnace myself and have a technician install it, can I still get warranty on labor and parts from the direct seller from whom I buy the furnace? What is the price range for a smart furnace? I can't find any prices on google. Thanks.

 

What is a “smart furnace”?
Do you mean a condensing furnace? Communicating furnace?
Warranty is questionable on internet purchases. Likely no labor coverage at all. You are the one holding the warranty, instead of the installing company. And it’s very difficult to get someone good to do such an installation.
First thing to do is figure out what size furnace you need via a manual J calculation.

 

Welcome to the forums.

Rather than trying to "guess" what you need.... call a few local companies.
Have them give you an estimate for a new furnace. This way you'll know what you're dealing with.

 

Thanks for the replies. A smart furnace is not a regular furnace. A smart furnace offers high-efficiency, comfort, quiet operation, quality and reliability all in one system, along with "smart" communication capabilities. I did call in several HVAC techs and they gave me an estimate for both the basic and smart furnaces. I'm just concerned that if I get a smart furnace, it will shut off unexpectedly due to a slight change in the duct work. This is because I was told by one of these techs that a smart furnace is very sensitive. Seeing that this is an old house, I'm guessing the furnace will have problems operating smoothly. I'm going to just have a tech buy and install a furnace for me instead of self purchase and 3rd party tech install.

 

no such thing as a smart furnace, no distinction between smart and basic.

It's not black or white.

There's a continuum.

You can choose between 80% or 90%+ efficiency, single vs two stage vs modulating, constant torque vs fully featured ecm motor, whether it supports communicating thermostat or not. (fully featured ecm furnaces usually do)

I think 90%+ 2-stage with a constant torque blower motor, controlled by a basic 2-stage thermostat is the sweet spot when it comes to comfort vs costs.

You should research all your choices as well as the importance of proper sizing, installation and commissioning so you know what to ask your contractor.

 

Ok. Your reply was very helpful. Thanks!

 

Communication and control is done via the thermostat, not the furnace.
There is no such “smart” furnace.
Focus on hiring a good contractor, that knows how to properly size, install and commission your new furnace.
Many are not good, and don’t know how to do these things properly.
The things you list that a “smart” furnace does, are all dependent on how well the furnace was installed and sized.
Bigger equipment is not better.