[lscharen]

We replaced a 25+ year-old propane furnace with a high-efficiency natural gas furnace two years ago. The difference in waste heat is astonishing.

The old furnace vented through a vertical chimney vent and the exhaust was so hot that touching the metal pipe would burn your hand.

The new furnace is direct vented with PVC pipes and the exhaust outside the house feels barely warm — that’s a lot of additional heat that stays in the house instead of being wasted.

Between the cost difference of propane vs natural gas, better efficiency and a programmable thermostat, we easily reduced our fuel bill $$ by 50% with no noticeable change in comfort level. I did not track the difference in therms.