Heil Gas Furnace: Cost, Pros & Cons, Best Models

Heil has been in the residential heating and cooling industry since 1962, and they are part of International Comfort Products (ICP) along with many other HVAC brands. Heil manufactures single-stage, two-stage and modulating furnaces in two efficiency tiers.

• Their high efficiency furnaces reach up to 98% Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE), and some models are ENERGY STAR Certified.
• They also offer 80% AFUE furnaces, which are more affordable and cost-effective in milder climate zones.

According to the technical opinion of our HVAC experts, Heil can be considered a mid-tier furnace brand. They offer a wide product selection that includes high efficiency units, but other brands have a better track record of reliability and durability. If you will move to another home in the near future and only need a short-term solution, Heil can meet the heating needs of your home.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a furnace that will work reliably for 15-25 years, you should consider a top-rated brand like Carrier or Trane.

Did you know? International Comfort Products (ICP) owns Heil, Airquest, Arcoaire, Comfortmaker, Day & Night, Keeprite and Tempstar. The selection of furnaces offered by the seven brands is nearly identical. In turn, ICP is a business unit of Carrier Global Corporation, which means that Carrier owns Heil.

However, the ICP brands focus on mid-tier and affordable furnaces, while Carrier manufactures high-tier furnaces branded with their logo.

Heil Gas Furnaces: Main Product Features

The gas furnaces offered by Heil and all other ICP brands are classified into three performance tiers. All three tiers include high AFUE (90%+) and standard AFUE (80%) furnaces:

• Ion Series (premium tier)
• QuietComfort Series (standard tier)
• Performance Series (value tier)

The Ion Series has the most accurate temperature and humidity control, making indoor spaces more comfortable. These furnaces use variable-speed blowers to ramp up their airflow gradually when the heating cycle starts. The furnace has more time to heat air circulating through the duct system, preventing cold drafts.

All furnace models in the Ion Series are compatible with the Wi-Fi Ion System Control, which enhances comfort.

The QuietComfort Series consists of two-stage furnaces with variable-speed fans, offering a balance between temperature control and price. These furnaces don’t have the Wi-Fi Ion System Control, which means their temperature and humidity regulation is slightly less accurate compared with the Ion Series. However, the combination of a two-stage gas valve and a variable-speed fan offers excellent temperature control on its own.

The Performance Series is the cheapest furnace line offered by Heil. These are all single-stage furnaces, and only some models have variable-speed blowers. This means you can expect notable temperature and humidity variations when using these furnaces.

Pro Tip: There is a common misconception that high furnace efficiency (AFUE) is equivalent to product quality, but this is not necessarily true. An AFUE of over 90% simply means that the furnace uses a secondary heat exchanger to collect more heat when burning natural gas. The top furnace brands make both 80% AFUE and 90-99% AFUE units.

How Much Does a Heil Furnace Cost?

Based on our research, US homeowners can expect to pay around $7,160 for a mid-tier Heil furnace. Typical project costs are broken down as follows:

In general, you can expect the following price ranges when purchasing furnaces from Heil or any other brand owned by ICP.

After comparing the typical prices of popular furnace brands, we found that 80% AFUE units have an average price of $5,700, while 90%+ AFUE units have an average price of $5,700.

Purchasing a high-AFUE furnace makes sense financially when you can take advantage of its high efficiency, otherwise an 80% AFUE unit is recommended.

If your home is located in a region with harsh winters, your furnace is subject to a high annual workload and high efficiency pays off. An 80% AFUE furnace makes more sense if you live in a milder climate zone, or if you need space heating for a vacation home that is empty most of the year.

The potential savings of a high AFUE furnace are small in these cases, and the unit could reach the end of its service life before you recover the extra cost.

The net cost of a new furnace can be reduced if the unit qualifies for financial incentives. The Inflation Reduction Act introduced new tax credits for energy efficient equipment in August 2022, and many of them took effect in January 2023.

The federal tax credit for energy efficient gas furnaces is 30% of their cost up to $600, and they must meet two conditions to qualify:

• ENERGY STAR Certified
• At least 97% AFUE

Some of the high-AFUE furnaces offered by Heil and other ICP brands meet both requirements, which means you can potentially claim a $600 tax deduction after your purchase.

Heil Furnaces: Ion Series

The Ion Series is Heil’s premium furnace line. As mentioned above, these furnaces are characterized by their variable-speed blowers and the Wi-Fi Ion System Control. The following table compares the Heil Ion Series furnace models:

All furnace models in the Heil Ion Series are covered by a lifetime heat exchanger warranty and a 10-year parts warranty. All models can also be coupled with a heat pump to achieve electric+gas heating and air conditioning during summer.

Thanks to their variable-speed blower motors and Wi-Fi controls, these furnaces can regulate airflow and heat output with high precision. They can control temperature and humidity with greater accuracy than the QuietComfort and Performance Series, making your home interior more comfortable. Variable-speed blowers also operate more silently than single-speed and multi-speed blowers.

Heil Furnaces: QuietComfort Series

The QuietComfort Series offers a balance between thermal comfort and equipment costs. There are only two furnace models in this product line:

These furnaces are also covered by a lifetime heat exchanger warranty and 10-year parts warranty. Both models have two-stage heating and variable-speed blowers, but they don’t have the Ion System Control.

Heil Furnaces: Performance Series

The Performance Series is the most affordable furnace line offered by Heil, but their temperature control is much less accurate compared with the Ion and QuietComfort Series. All furnaces in the Performance Series have single-stage heating, and the type of blower motor changes depending on the model:

Only the N96VSN and N95ESN furnaces have a lifetime heat exchanger warranty, while all other models have a 20-year warranty. All furnaces in the Performance Series have a 10-year parts warranty.

Since these furnaces have single-stage gas valves, they cycle between 100% and 0% heating output when operating at part load. This results in temperature fluctuation, which can cause discomfort.

The units with variable-speed fans can partially compensate for temperature changes by adjusting their airflow. Multi-speed fans also offer some airflow control, although they are limited to predetermined speeds. Finally, single-speed blowers offer the least control over temperature and airflow variations.

How Does Heil Compare with Other Furnace Brands?

Heil offers a wide selection of furnaces in multiple configurations, and you can find identical models from other brands owned by International Comfort Products:

• Modulating, two-stage and single-stage gas valve configurations
• 80% AFUE and 92-98% AFUE efficiency tiers
• Variable-speed, multi-speed a single-speed blowers

Although Heil offers furnaces for multiple applications, our HVAC experts don’t recommend this brand if you’re looking for long-term performance and reliability. Their list of top furnace brands includes American Standard, Bryant, Carrier, Lennox, Payne, Rheem, Ruud, and Trane. Just keep in mind that these brands also have product tiers that include affordable low-performance units.

Two-stage furnaces with variable-speed fans are widely regarded as the best option for most applications, and this applies across brands. Two-stage furnaces offer much better temperature control than single-stage units, without having the hefty price tag of a modulating furnace.

Two-stage furnaces also have a simpler design than variable-capacity units, which makes their maintenance easier and less expensive.

Many of the furnace models recommended by our experts have two-stage gas valves and a variable speed blower, including: Carrier Infinity 80, Bryant Evolution 80, Payne PG96VTA, Trane S9V2, Trane XV80, American Standard Gold S9V2, American Standard Platinum 80, Rheem Prestige R96V, Ruud U96V and Lennox Elite EL296V.