Are you planning to buy a new air conditioner and you’re choosing between Lennox and Goodman? We researched this question, and we have the answer as to which might be best for you.
Deciding whether a Lennox or a Goodman air conditioner is the right choice for you is dependent on the things that you value. Here are some basic points to consider:
- If you value efficiency, Lennox has more energy-efficient products.
- If you value affordability, Goodman’s products are more affordable.
- When it comes to durability, Goodman’s products are known to be more durable.
- From a warranty standpoint, Lennox has a longer-lasting warranty than Goodman.
Still not enough to decide? Let’s look at both brands in more detail so that you’d have all the information that you need before you make a decision. Read on!
Introduction to Lennox and Goodman
Before we dive into the merits of each air conditioner brand, let’s take a brief look at how these two companies started.
Brief history of Lennox International
David “Dave” Lennox founded a furnace manufacturing business in 1895 in Marshalltown, Iowa. This business evolved into the Lennox International that everyone knows today.
Ernest Bryan and Ezra Smith—businessmen from Oskaloosa, Iowa—entered into an agreement with Lennox. They asked Lennox to make prototype parts of the new furnace design that they made.
However, they lost their financial backing and were not able to pay Lennox for the service. They agreed to pay Lennox with the patents of their furnace design.
Lennox modified the original design of Bryan and Smith and initially marketed his furnace under the Torrid Zone brand. It became a success, and his business grew.
In 1904, Lennox decided to sell his furnace business to David Windsor Norris. Norris operated the company under the name Lennox Furnace Company.
A brief history of Goodman Global
Harold V. Goodman—an HVAC dealer—founded Goodman Manufacturing in 1975. It manufactured flexible air ducts and plastic blade registers. Despite his business, he dreamed of manufacturing affordable HVAC equipment for households across the United States and beyond.
Frank Murray took over the company as CEO when Goodman died in 1996.
Apollo Management acquired Goodman in 2004 for $1.43 billion. Hellman & Friedman acquired Goodman in 2007 for $1.8 billion.
Hellman & Friedman agreed to sell Goodman to Japan’s Daikin Industries Ltd in 2012 for $3.7 billion.
Who manufactures their products?
Now that we know a little bit about the history of Lennox and Goodman, let’s see who is really behind the manufacturing of their air conditioner units.
Lennox air conditioners are manufactured in their Iowa production center. Goodman air conditioners, on the other hand, are produced by the Daikin Group in Houston. Daikin Group is the world’s largest manufacturer of residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
A closer look at Lennox and Goodman
The succeeding sections talk about the strengths and weaknesses of each brand. We started with two articles that ranked the best air conditioners in 2022. Then we moved to the attributes of air conditioners that most homeowners overlook—until it starts to bother them.
Best Air Conditioner Brands by Modernize
Modernize Home Services released an article on January 30, 2022, that listed the top 11 air conditioner brands in the US. They based their ranking on SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) ratings and the cost to own and install. Thus, a brand with a high SEER rating and low price would end up high on its ranking.
Lennox ranked sixth on the list. It had the highest SEER rating at 26 (the average SEER efficiency is 14). However, the average cost to install a Lennox air conditioner ranges from $3,100 to $7,340.
Goodman achieved the third rank on the list—just below Carrier and American Standard. It had a SEER rating of 13-18, but the average cost to install is only between $3,188 to $4,275. It was tagged as the top homeowner choice based on the list.
Best Air Conditioning Brands by Atlas
Atlas AC Repair published an article on the best air conditioners in 2022 to help consumers decide. They listed the top six sought-after brands in the US. The list is mainly based on the life expectancy of the air conditioner, pricing, and customer satisfaction.
Goodman air conditioner got into third place on the list. They tagged Goodman as the best budget-friendly brand available.
Based on their data, Goodman air conditioners have a life expectancy of 18 years with customer satisfaction of 'Good.' An outdoor air conditioner unit of Goodman costs an average of $3,100 to $7,500.
Lennox, on the other hand, was in fourth place on their list. It had a life expectancy of 15 years and customer satisfaction of 'Ok.' The outdoor AC unit of Lennox costs around $3,900 to $12,500.
Sound rating
No, we’re not talking about the loudness of a speaker. We are still talking about loudness, though—how loud an air conditioner is when running at maximum output. When talking about the sound rating, a lower rating means quieter. Some spec sheets call this the noise level.
The Goodman air conditioner has a sound rating of 51.3 decibels, while a Lennox air conditioner has an average sound rating of 59 decibels.
The Goodman GSX160601 single-phase condensing unit has 5-ton capacity and 16 SEER rating. Check it out on Amazon.
Energy Star Most Efficient
Goodman air conditioners do not have an Energy Star Most Efficient recognition. However, they are known to be among the most reliable and affordable. They are suitable for homes that are not located in states with extremely warm temperatures so that they do not need to run at maximum or for very long periods.
Lennox air conditioners have an Energy Star Most Efficient rating because they are known as among the most efficient air conditioners in the market. They are best for homes in states that experience extremely warm temperatures since they will need to run their air conditioners longer and at higher temperatures. This is when the energy savings from efficiency will start to really matter.
A replacement remote control for the Lennox air conditioner is available on Amazon. Check it out through this link.
How to determine the best air conditioner for you?
Here is another attribute you need to factor in when buying an air conditioner—power. Some Americans fall into the trap of buying an underpowered or overpowered air conditioner for their homes.
An underpowered air conditioner will keep running at maximum, trying and failing to get your home to your target temperature. Always running at maximum power for extended periods means that the air conditioner will break down more often, thus giving you a higher maintenance cost. This also severely decreases the lifespan of the air conditioner.
An overpowered air conditioner will end up leaving you with a clammy-feeling room. This is because it will drop the temperature and turn itself off before it can bring the humidity to a proportionate level.
Because it cannot effectively remove moisture from inside your home, this can lead to fungus and mold problems. Additionally, turning on and off too many times will wear out the conditioner much faster than normal.
How to determine the right AC size
The first thing you need to do before buying an air conditioner is to determine the right size of air conditioner that is right for you. Keep in mind that the right air conditioner size doesn’t refer to the physical size of the unit but to the amount of heat it can remove per hour.
Get the total floor area of your home (in square feet). If you plan to install the AC in a room, get the total floor area of the room. Multiply this number by 25 BTU per square foot.
For example, if the room where you will install the air conditioner is 15 feet by 16 feet, then you have a total of 240 square feet area. Multiply this by 25 BTU per square foot, and you get 6,000 BTUs.
This is the minimum amount of BTU that you need to cool the area that you have measured. This estimate is based on a room with one door, two windows, and an 8-foot-high ceiling.
The minimum BTU will change if you have a different number of windows, a different ceiling height, whether there is a basement or not, etc. All of these other factors will have to be taken into consideration too.
This number is an estimated number of BTUs that you need to give you an idea of what you need when you talk to an HVAC professional. Knowing the estimated number of BTUs that you need will help prevent you from getting an air conditioner that is too small or too large for what you need.
Air conditioner jargon
Here are some air conditioner terms that you might hear while talking with people to give you AC estimates. We included them here so that you will not get intimidated when you hear them.
Additionally, you should know what they are talking about so that you’d be on the same page as your air conditioning professional.
Manual J or J load calculation
This is a calculation that is used to determine the various heating and cooling loads that your home might need. Calculating this is often done through software to save time.
Your air conditioner specialist may ask you questions that they will need to calculate this.
Tonnage
Central air conditioning capacities are measured in tonnage. And, no, this is not the total weight of the air conditioner.
An air conditioner with a capacity of a ton or a one-ton air conditioner unit can cool 12,000 BTUs per hour. In our computation earlier, you’d likely need, at a minimum, a half-ton air conditioner.
Conclusion
The air conditioner that is right for you depends on many factors like where you live, the floor area of your house, how loud an air conditioner is, or how much you are willing to pay for maintenance.
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I’ve had a Lennox before. It may cost more but it will last compared to Goodman. My Goodman, I paid $4,500 6 years ago, now I’m putting in $1,000 labor costs on an ac core which luckily it’s still under warranty. Not happy with the Goodman.