Goodman GMES96 Review

LIMITED INVENTORY: Please note, this model has been marked as having limited inventory by the manufacturer, although it may still be available for purchase through distributors and contractors for some time.

The GMES96 is a relatively powerful single-stage furnace with a high-efficiency AFUE rating and ENERGY STAR® certification. 

Although it doesn’t have the most sophisticated burner, this furnace does have a few extra design features that make it more appealing and sophisticated than a basic furnace. Plus, it’s a Goodman, and that means you can get a high-efficiency furnace at a budget-friendly price. 

This Goodman gas furnace review of the GMES96 will go over the important things you need to know about this furnace. If you're in the market for a heating system upgrade, then this review will help you figure out if the GMES96 is a good choice by discussing features, specifications, warranty, pricing, design elements, and model comparisons. 

The Goodman GMES96 in a Nutshell

Average Price (with installation): $4,400 to $5,000

Top Features

• Secondary heat exchanger 
• High-efficiency AFUE 
• Economical 
• Excellent warranty
• Multi-speed blower provides steady airflow and efficient operation
• ECM blower motor is quiet and doesn’t require a lot of maintenance 
• Low nitrogen oxide emissions
• Keeps air circulating with the low constant fan speed

The Bottom Line

The GMES96 only has a single-stage burner, so it might not be powerful enough to contend with the cold snaps that cooler parts of the country experience in winter, especially if you live in a large house. 

However, it is still a high-efficiency furnace with some additional design features that make it appealing if you live in a smaller home or milder part of Canada.

For example, the GMES96 has a secondary heat exchanger that makes it more efficient. Secondary heat exchangers recycle heat from exhaust gasses that non-condensing furnaces vent out, so they waste less fuel and heat. 

This furnace also has a silicon nitride ignitor, which is more reliable and more efficient than a pilot light because it doesn’t constantly burn fuel. 

If this is a suitable furnace for your home, then it could reduce your monthly heating bills and save you a lot over the lifetime of the furnace.

It appears that the GMES96 has been replaced by a similar but slightly updated model in Goodman’s product line. Goodman won’t be making this furnace anymore once their stock runs out, and that’s why it has been listed as limited inventory. 

In Depth Review

Goodman GMES96 Product Specifications

• AFUE: 96 percent
• Burner type: Single-stage
• Blower type: Multi-speed ECM
• ENERGY STAR certified: Yes
• Heating capacity: 38,440 to 115,320 BTUs

Features Overview

One of the cool things about the GMES96 is that it’s equipped with a self-diagnostic control board that monitors performance, and it has an LED fault code display. 

You'll appreciate this feature if you’ve ever experienced problems with an appliance that doesn’t have self-diagnostics. Unless you're familiar with the equipment, there's no way for you to determine what's wrong without waiting for an expert. 

With self-diagnostics, you can look up what's wrong and try to troubleshoot the problem yourself. For issues that do require an expert, self-diagnostics can facilitate repairs, and this can potentially save you on labour costs. 

Other Key Features

• Designed for fast and easy installation in just about any space
• Cabinet promises air leakage below 2 percent
• Protected by a heavy-gauge cabinet coated with a durable finish
• Blower and heat exchanger compartments are fully insulated to reduce noise
• Thermally insulated cabinet increases heat transfer
• No water leaks
• Easy hook-ups with humidifiers and electronic air cleaners
• Primary heat exchanger has a tubular design for increased durability and long life

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Warranty Information

The GMES96 may be one of the cheaper high-efficiency furnaces on the market thanks to reasonable Goodman gas furnace prices, but Goodman still stands behind it. In fact, it’s backed by some of the best protection around, especially for a single-stage furnace. Here are the warranty types that keep your investment safe:

• A 10-year parts warranty 
• A 10-year unit replacement warranty
• A lifetime heat exchanger warranty

If you're not familiar with unit replacement warranties, this means that Goodman will replace the entire furnace if the heat exchanger fails in the first 10 years. 

To be eligible for these full warranty terms, you'll have to register the GMES96 online with Goodman within 60 days of installation, otherwise you risk losing some of the coverage. 

Be sure to hire a licensed HVAC pro for the installation and to take care of annual maintenance in order to keep the warranty valid. 

Comparable Models by Goodman

Model Comparison by Price: GMES96 versus GMVM97

When you're looking at high-efficiency furnaces, there isn't a huge price difference between Goodman’s most basic furnaces and their most advanced ones. The GMES96 falls somewhere in the middle, whereas the GMVM97 is at the higher end. To buy and install the GMVM97, it will cost you roughly $4,600 to $5,200.

For the extra money, however, you do get a lot of additional benefits, including a modulating burner and variable-speed blower. These are superior to single-stage, multi-speed furnaces because they can make incremental changes to the heating output and airflow. 

The GMVM97 is more efficient (it has an AFUE of 98 percent), quieter, has better humidity management, and promises more even heat. It will also be better equipped to heat large houses, even in cold climates and during deep freezes. 

The GMVM97 will cost less to operate, it will save you a little more on energy bills over the years, and it will probably be eligible for just about any rebate available. 

Finally, the GMVM97 also comes with Goodman’s special features, ComfortBridge Technology and the CoolCloud HVAC app. 

Model Comparison by Features: GMES96 versus GCVM97

The GCVM97 is one of Goodman’s most expensive furnaces, and it’s nearly identical to their other premium-tier unit, the GMVM97 that we just talked about. The GCVM97 is a modulating, variable-speed furnace with an AFUE of 97 percent and ENERGY STAR certification.

It also has Goodman’s ComfortBridge technology, which is a communicating feature that allows important components in the furnace to talk to the thermostat about performance. The thermostat can then use information about the temperature and humidity levels to make automatic adjustments that both save energy and improve indoor comfort. 

The GCVM97 also has the CoolCloud HVAC app, an app that contractors can download to make configuration easier during installation. The app also gives them access to data, diagnostics, and notes from other contractors to make repairs and maintenance easier. 

Model Comparison by Tier: GMES96 versus GMVS96-U

The GMVS96-U is also a single-stage Goodman gas furnace, but it has some things that the GMES96 can’t offer. 

The GMVS96-U has a special burner technology that lowers emissions, so it qualifies as an ultra-low nitrogen oxide furnace. Nitrogen oxide is a greenhouse gas, so environmentally friendly Canadians might like this feature. 

There are also some other design features that make the GMVS96-U appealing, including the variable-speed blower, which is more sophisticated and efficient than the GMES96’s multi-speed one.

Finally, the GMVS96-U has Goodman’s premium features: the CoolCloud HVAC app and their exclusive ComfortBridge communicating technology.