Hi-Efficiency Furnace & Air Conditioner
Back in the summer, I did my research and planned for a complete furnace and air conditioner replacement set for fall 2008 before my 22 year old Lennox furnace and 20 year old Carrier A/C breaks down. I have done well and did not want to push my luck.
I found Boris who owns Cozy World from another website. I had received 5 quotes and ultimately picked Boris who happens to be the lowest cost. I usually do not go with the cheapest quote. Boris was unlike the other HVAC suppliers and actually posts on his website exactly what he charges. I bought the Goodman GMV950905DX 95% AFUE Dual-Stage/Var. Spd. furnace paired with the Goodman SSX140361 14 SEER A/C. I researched and found out that this pairing makes this A/C a 15 SEER. Boris confirmed this. A 15 SEER A/C qualifies for a higher rebate. My house is 3175 sq. ft. so this furnace and A/C combo is more than adequate. This furnace combination actually qualifies for the maximum rebate possible from the ecoEnergy program (federal and matching provincial rebates), the OPA program and Enbridge. I went with an energy advisor that was from a non-profit organization as oppose to one supplied by an HVAC installer hard-pressed to be less than objective. Be wary of the free or discounted energy audit. They will certainly get it back from the HVAC installation they provide you. I found that Boris has a very informative website. It's a wealth of information on HVAC. And yes, he does do what he shows on his website even helping you apply for the OPA ($550) and local gas supplier (Enbridge) rebates ($115). And yes, he supplied the stamps to mail the completed rebate forms.
Note: I was sold the comparable Amana furnace and A/C by other HVAC installers. Amanas are built by Goodman. Essentially they are the same but you pay over $1,000 more for the furnace and about $700 more for the A/C. Other than a different casing, the core technology used by both are identical. How often are you going to go to the basement and look at your furnace? Goodman and Amana both have the best warranty in the industry. The heat exchanger for the furnace has lifetime warranty. The compressor for the A/C also has lifetime warranty. I don't believe any other furnace and A/C manufacturer offers this warranty. All remaining parts for furnace and A/C are for 10 years. Boris also tossed in a labour warranty coverage that he bought for me. It's covers for labour to fix the furnace and it's for 10 years. The coil and compressor labour is covered for 5 years. Remember, Goodman builds a great furnace and have an awesome warranty but if you get a crappy installation you will have problems. It's not the furnace or A/C, it's your installation.
His quotation and ultimately his invoice are both detailed and exact. I paid exactly what he quoted me. This sadly is not always the case with companies you hire to do a job. I know since I'm currently dealing with a Window and Door system supplier who isn't as up front like Boris.
Boris was very patient and fielded a few of my calls prior to me deciding to go with him. He wasn't pushy at all. I called him for a quote during the only week he takes off on vacation. He was very courteous and asked if I can wait for a quote when he gets back or he can send someone else to do so. I told him that I could wait. Boris, contacted me immediately upon his return and provided me his 'no-surprises' quote. Installation was done on September 18th, 2008 by an excellent installer of his named Kam. There was a crew of 3. Originally, I had thought about buying the furnace and A/C combo in the US and to pick it up from the border. I have a friend who installs HVACs for a living at Direct Energy. The plan was for him to install it over the weekend. I'm so glad I didn't take this route since Kam had to make significant modifications to fit a rather sizeable coil. And the HVAC installation would not have taken only a day but likely 2-3 days if done by one person.
The same packaged furnace and A/C would have been $2,408 USD pre-installation but it's more with the other costs. Our Canadian dollar was very strong at the time. In then end, I'm still happy that I went with Cozy World and would use them again for my HVAC needs. Note the highest quote was for $10,500 for Carrier products from another HVAC installer. They had installed and serviced my original Lennox furnace. In fact, I found it refreshing that Boris was talking me out of wasting money on fancy thermostats and remote sensors. He could have sold me them but was up front and told me that it would be a waste of money. He was very knowledgeable and patiently explained the choice of furnace and A/C we had made.
As for after-sales service, I just had one today when my furnace went dead. Boris called me back within a half hour of me sending him an e-mail about my problem. He actually came out personally to see me since his installer was tied up with another installation. The short of it, Boris was very responsive and arrange for my problem to be fixed the same day. Somehow, I might have created the problem blowing the fuse on the furnace's circuit board while changing my air filter that is powered by an adapter. I was told that if the adapter connector should touch the casing of the furnace it could blow the fuse to save the circuit board. Ultimately, the guy who installed my furnace came and replaced the fuse the same day. Now that's service!
I will have no hesitation recommending Boris and his team at Cozy World. I've found that Boris really does care about his customers by his actions.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $6,500.00