Amana AMVS96-U Review

The AMVS96-U is one of Amana’s ultra-low nitrogen oxide emissions furnaces. It’s a high-efficiency, single-stage furnace with an AFUE of 96 percent. It has a variable-speed blower motor and a special burner design that reduces the amount of NOx produced by the furnace. 

This Amana AMVS96-U model review will tell you all about the most important features for this furnace. It will talk about specifications, burner and blower type, warranty terms, price range, and more. 

The purpose of this review is to help you decide if the AMVS96-U is the right Amana furnace for your home, so we’ll also compare it to three other models that the company makes. 

About the Amana AMVS96-U

Average Price (with installation): $5,000 to $5,600

Top Features

• Special stainless-steel premix burner makes for ultra-low NOx emissions
• Secondary heat exchanger for improved efficiency and less fuel waste
• Silicon nitride ignitor further reduces fuel waste by eliminating the pilot light
• Comes with excellent warranty coverage
• Boasts quiet operation 
• High-efficiency AFUE rating
• ENERGY STAR® certified  
• Equipped with ComfortBridge technology and the CoolCloud HVAC app

The Bottom Line

The AMVS96-U may only be a single-stage furnace, but it has some more advanced components that make it a cost-saving high-efficiency furnace with ENERGY STAR certification. Those features include the secondary heat exchanger and variable-speed blower motor.

This model also has the special burner technology that reduces emissions, making it a more environmentally friendly choice. 

However, because it only has a single-stage burner, the AMVS96-U is likely best for smaller homes or parts of Canada with milder winters. 

In Depth Review

Amana AMVS96-U Product Specifications

• AFUE: 96%
• Burner type: Single-stage
• Blower type: Variable-speed
• ENERGY STAR rated? Yes
• Heating capacity: 57,600 to 76,800 BTUs

Features Overview

Amana cares about quiet operation, and the AMVS96-U has a number of features that reduce noise and vibrations to make your home quieter and more comfortable. 

Those features include the insulated cabinet, the induced draft blower, the heavy-gauge steel used for the cabinet, and the sound-isolated blower assembly. Furthermore, the cabinet insulation also reduces air leaks, making the unit more efficient. 

Beyond that, the AMVS96-U has also been designed for dependable and lasting operation, thanks in part to the heavy-duty primary heat exchanger with a tubular design, the heat- and corrosion resistant secondary heat exchanger, and the CoolCloud HVAC app, which can potentially extend the life of the unit by making maintenance and installation easier. 

Other Key Features

• Equipped with self-diagnostic technology to monitor problems
• Has an LED fault code display to make troubleshooting a breeze
• Versatile installation applications 
• Multiple venting options make installation easier 
• Thermally insulated cabinet increases heat transfer 

Warranty Information

The AMVS96-U is backed by Amana’s full warranty, which includes a lifetime heat exchanger warranty, a lifetime unit replacement warranty, and a 10-year parts warranty. 

The heat exchanger warranty means Amana will repair or replace the heat exchanger if it fails, the parts warranty is for all the other functional parts, and the unit replacement warranty means Amana will offer to provide you with a brand new furnace if the heat exchanger fails. 

To be eligible for these full warranty terms, however, you are obligated to register the AMVS96-U with Amana within 60 days of installation. Should you fail to register the unit, then you will lose some of the warranty coverage. 

Furthermore, you also have to have the AMVS96-U installed by a professional HVAC technician to keep the warranty intact. 

Comparable Models by Amana

Model Comparison by Price: AMVS96-U versus ACES96

If you're looking for something in the same price range as the AMVS96-U, then you could consider the ACES96. However, the AMVS96-U has a few additional technologies and features that make it a more appealing model. 

For one thing, the ACES96 only has a multi-speed blower motor. These aren't as efficient, they're louder, and they're not as good at maintaining a consistent temperature as the variable-speed blowers. 

Moreover, the ACES96 isn't ENERGY STAR certified and it doesn’t have the ComfortBridge technology or CoolCloud HVAC app. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the ACES96 doesn’t have the special burner technology, so it doesn’t qualify as ultra-low NOx emissions. 

Model Comparison by Features: AMVS96-U versus ACVM97

The AMVS96-U does have a few more features than some other Amana furnaces, but it doesn’t have as many as the premium-tier ACVM97. 

The most important difference between these two furnaces is the gas valve. The AMVS96-U is a more basic single-stage furnace, while the ACVM97 is a much more advanced modulating furnace. 

A modulating furnace can make incremental adjustments to the heating output so that your home is always at the perfect temperature without the furnace using a lot of energy. These are the most efficient furnaces on the market, and the ACVM97 has an AFUE of 97 percent. 

Thanks to the modulating gas valve, the ACVM97 will also be better at keeping a large home warm, better at maintaining the right temperature, and better at managing humidity. 

Aside from the difference in the gas valve, however, the AMVS96-U actually has many of the same advantages as the ACVM97, including ENERGY STAR certification, ComfortBridge, CoolCloud, a variable-speed blower motor, a secondary heat exchanger, and a high-efficiency AFUE.

Model Comparison by Tier: AMVS96-U versus ACVC96

The AMVS96-U and ACVC96 are both mid-range Amana furnaces, but the ACVC96 has one benefit that the AMVS96-U doesn’t: a two-stage gas valve. 

Two-stage gas valves aren't as sophisticated as modulating ones, but they do have a high and low speed, making them more advanced than single-stage gas valves. 

With the two stages of operation, the ACVC96 can run at a lower speed most of the time and then kick into the higher speed when necessary to combat cold snaps and dips in the temperature. 

If you live in a part of Canada that gets colder winters, then the ACVC96 will be better equipped to keep your house comfortable. 

One thing that the ACVC96 doesn’t have, however, is the ultra-low NOx emissions. Nonetheless, it is still a high-efficiency furnace that will save you lots on energy bills compared to an older and less efficient furnace.