Payne Furnace Review

Your complete Payne furnace buying guide, updated with top model comparisons, prices, AFUE ratings, features, warranty info, and more.

Today’s homeowners are often having to watch their budgets carefully for large purchases like furnaces and other HVAC upgrades, but there's a lot more to consider when buying a new furnace than just the price.

Price is certainly important, but there are things like efficiency ratings and warranties that can save you more money in the long run than buying a furnace with a cheaper sticker price.

We’ve put together this comprehensive buying guide and furnace review to help you easily compare Payne furnaces and see what the available models have to offer in terms of AFUE ratings, efficiency, features, and warranty terms.

If you're in the market for an HVAC upgrade, then this comprehensive guide will help you decide if a high-efficiency Payne furnace is the right fit for your home, and help you choose a model that suits your comfort needs and budget.

Also Read: The Best Furnaces for Canadians

Payne Furnaces, At a Glance

Strengths

• Primary heat exchangers are made with durable aluminized steel
• All models have a secondary heat exchanger for condensing operation
• Furnaces use reliable and efficient silicon nitride hot surface igniters
• Some ENERGY STAR® models available
• Ultra-low NOx model available
• Furnaces have sound-reducing features
• All models are dual fuel compatible
• Cabinets are fully insulated to increase heat transfer and efficiency
• Units are compatible with air purifiers and humidifiers
• Affordable heating systems
• Simple but high-quality furnaces

Weaknesses

• Very small selection of high-efficiency furnaces
• Brand doesn’t have any special features or innovative technologies
• Warranty is the most basic in the industry
• Most models are single-stage and not great for larger spaces in cold climates
• Only one high-efficiency furnace has a variable-speed blower
• Don’t have a modulating model available
• Highest AFUE is 97%

The Bottom Line

Payne has a small selection of high-efficiency furnaces that are simple but well made. They're great for homeowners on a budget who want a basic furnace that heats their home and nothing more (because they have no special features).

You just have to be careful about where you live and how cold the winters get, because most Payne furnaces are single-stage and not necessarily equipped to handle high heating demands in large homes.

Finally, while Payne backs all their furnaces with a standard warranty, they lack the lifetime heat exchanger and unit replacement warranties that most brands have started offering.

Payne Customer Reviews

Most of the homeowners we’ve talked to are satisfied with their Payne furnaces. They say the furnaces are quiet and reliable, have great features, run well, and are energy efficient. At the same time, we’ve also heard from some people who said the performance was inadequate and noisy. Most of the time, issues like this can be prevented by hiring trained, experienced, and licensed HVAC installers.

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Payne Furnace Model Series Overview

The grades are based on our proprietary algorithm which compares a variety of criteria to make it easy to compare models across brands. Note that models with lower grades aren’t necessarily a bad choice, as lower cost models tend to have more basic features, warranty coverage, or efficiency ratings, which lowers the grade relative to more expensive models.

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Payne Furnace Models and Prices

Payne’s Entry-Level Furnaces

Average price for an entry-level furnace: $3,350 to $4,350

Models

PG92MSA: Single-stage, multi-speed furnace with an AFUE of 92.1%. This furnace is no longer considered high-efficiency in some places, namely Canada, where the high-efficiency minimum is 95%. As such, this furnace may not be available in some areas because it may not be powerful and efficient enough to heat a home in climates with colder winters.

Ideal For

Payne’s entry-level furnace will work best for homeowners who want a very basic and affordable furnace. The single-stage operation and lower AFUE mean this model will work best in smaller homes and milder climates, such as California or Vancouver Island. For most homes in the north, this furnace won’t be powerful or efficient enough to contend with long winters and deep freezes, especially if you have a large space to heat.

Payne’s Mid-Range Furnaces

Average price for a mid-range furnace: $3,850 to $4,850

Models

PG96MSA: Single-stage, multi-speed furnace with an AFUE of 97%. This furnace uses a silicon nitride igniter to start the ignition process, and that means it doesn’t rely on a pilot light. Pilot lights waste fuel and can go out, leaving you without heat. Silicon nitride igniters don’t waste fuel and don’t blow out, so they're more efficient and more reliable.

PG95ESA: Single-stage, multi-speed furnace with an AFUE of 96%. This furnace is equipped with a secondary heat exchanger that traps exhaust gasses and extracts additional heat from them. This is heat that would otherwise be lost, so the condensing operation makes this furnace more efficient and able to produce more heat with the same amount of fuel.

PG95ESUA: Single-stage, multi-speed furnace with an AFUE of 95%. This is an ultra-low NOx furnace that has a special component that premixes fuel and oxygen to ensure cleaner and more efficient combustion. Nitrogen oxides are powerful greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change, so low-emissions furnaces are great for environmentally conscious homeowners and people who live in areas with air quality standards.

Ideal For

Like the entry-level models, Payne’s mid-range furnaces will work best in smaller spaces and milder climates. Even though they're more efficient, they still only have single-stage operation. That means the furnace is either running at 100% or off, and furnaces like this aren’t as great at maintaining consistent temperatures in large spaces. These are ideal if you're looking for a basic furnace with no bells and whistles and a standard warranty.

Payne’s Top-Tier Furnaces

Average price for a top-tier furnace: $4,350 to $5,350

Models

PG96VTA: Two-stage, variable-speed furnace with an AFUE of 96.7%. This furnace is dual fuel compatible. That means you can install it with a compatible heat pump and your system will automatically switch between gas and electric heat, depending on the temperature, to save you the most money possible on heating bills.

Ideal For

Thanks to the two-stage operation, Payne’s top-tier furnace can work in larger spaces and colder climates. The furnace has a high and low heating stage, so it can keep the temperature consistent with the low stage and kick into high gear when the mercury drops to keep your home warm. This is a relatively affordable furnace that could qualify for additional rebates, so it’s great for homeowners on a budget, but not so much for anyone who values a great warranty or novel features/technologies.

Recently Discontinued Payne Furnaces

• PG96VAT
• PG95XAT
• PG95S
• PG92S
• PG92ESA

Payne Features Overview

Payne doesn’t offer Canadian consumers a wide array of additional features for their high-efficiency furnaces. Rather, the brand focuses on delivering products that come standard with a range of expertly engineered internal components.

Although Payne furnaces don’t boast any proprietary technologies or novel features, they do have some convenient qualities, including that they:

• Are compatible with air purifiers and humidifiers
• Are equipped with ECM blower motors that promise better efficiency and temperature consistency, less maintenance, and improved air quality
• Have secondary heat exchangers to reduce heat loss and increase efficiency
• Have sound-reducing features for quieter operation
• Come with insulated cabinets for reduced energy loss

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Important Warranty Information

Payne offers one of the most basic warranties of any HVAC brand, and all their models feature the same coverage.

This includes a limited 20-year warranty on the heat exchanger as well as a limited 10-year parts protection warranty.

To be eligible for these warranty terms, you must register your new furnace within 90 days of installation. Should you fail to register the furnace, the parts warranty will only last for five years. The heat exchanger warranty, however, is the same with or without registration.

Most other HVAC brands have adopted lifetime heat exchanger warranties for at least some of their furnaces, and lots of brands also offer unit replacement warranties now as well. Payne, however, hasn’t adopted either of these.

PAYNE – ABOUT THE COMPANY

Founded in 1914 by D.W. Payne, the Payne Heating & Cooling Company has been delivering high-quality home comfort for over 100 years. They’ve dedicated themselves to producing attractive and affordable HVAC systems that are capable of achieving excellent rates of efficiency.

The brand is perfect for Canadian homeowners who are looking for a dependable heating and cooling solution at a reasonable price.

Eager to learn more about Payne furnaces? Fill out an online quote request, and one of our representatives will be happy to provide you with a free, no obligation quote.