If you are hesitant to put in a new furnace, don't be. We had a really old furnace that came with the house we purchased. We upgraded to a high efficiency furnace this year and I can't believe the difference in our gas and hydro bills! Our gas bill literally cut in half (the salesman said this would happen, but I am always skeptical of salespeople). We are on a payment plan for the furnace, and our savings covers the monthly cost.
I agree, although I would add a caveat: Make sure you know all about the differences in fuel if you switch your heat source (e.g. replacing a fuel oil furnace with propane). Last winter we had a propane furnace installed to replace a (at least) 25-year-old fuel oil furnace. Our heating bills went up, even though we had quite a warm winter, and our house had just been sided and insulated that summer. The problem was that propane heats about 20 degrees cooler than fuel oil, so our furnace ran more often, and didn't let us get as warm. I wish I was still using that stinky, nasty fuel oil.
TerryfromChilliOH
