Goodman vs Lennox is budget vs premium, honestly, and the honest version is that the gap is smaller than the price tags suggest. A Goodman two-stage furnace installed well will heat a Burlington house for 15–20 years, and its equipment warranty is as long as Lennox's. What Lennox sells for the extra $500–$1,500 at the same tier is a quieter, more refined top end, a tighter communicating control system and a higher-efficiency modulating furnace. Pay for that if you will live with it for the next 15 years; skip it if the house is a rental, a flip, or a place you will sell before the difference pays back.
Who Makes What
Goodman has been owned by Daikin since 2012, and Goodman, Amana and Daikin-branded furnaces come off the same Texas production lines with different cabinets and warranty packages. Lennox builds its own furnaces and sells them under its own name, with Armstrong Air, AirEase and Ducane as separate value brands from a different Lennox division.
- Goodman furnaces: GMES96 single-stage 96%, GMVC96 two-stage 96% with variable-speed blower, GMVM97 modulating 97% with variable-speed blower. Goodman has been refreshing its model prefixes, so match a quote to the features — two-stage, variable-speed blower — rather than to the letters.
- Lennox furnaces: ML196 single-stage (Merit), EL296V two-stage (Elite), SLP99V modulating 99% (Signature).
- Goodman air conditioners moved to R-32 refrigerant with the 2025 lineup, following Daikin. Lennox moved to R-454B. Both are A2L refrigerants with the same handling rules, but they are not interchangeable, so a Goodman condenser needs a Goodman-matched coil and a Lennox needs a Lennox-matched one.
Where Goodman Holds Its Own
The Goodman GMVC96 is a genuinely good two-stage furnace, and it is the model we would put against a Lennox EL296V without apology. Both run a two-stage gas valve with a variable-speed ECM blower, both are 96% AFUE, and both are quiet on low fire. The Goodman is typically several hundred dollars less, and its parts are stocked at ordinary HVAC wholesalers across Halton and Hamilton because Goodman is one of the highest-volume brands in the wholesale channel.
That parts point is not trivial. Lennox routes parts through its own store network, so a Goodman igniter or board is often quicker to get on a weekend than a Lennox one. For a rental property in Westdale or on the Hamilton Mountain, where a tenant is waiting for heat and the landlord is paying the bill, that is a practical argument for Goodman. Our Goodman furnace repair page lists what we see on service calls.
Where Lennox Earns the Premium
The Lennox Signature tier is where the money shows. The SLP99V carries the highest AFUE rating of any gas furnace sold here, at 99%, its modulating burner steps in roughly 1% increments, and the iComfort S30 control ties it to a Lennox condenser or heat pump with zoning built in. Goodman's GMVM97 is a capable modulating furnace with its own ComfortBridge communicating control, but the ecosystem around it — thermostat, zoning, matched variable-capacity condensers — is thinner than Lennox's, and the cabinet, sound insulation and fit-and-finish are plainer.
The premium also buys a more refined top-tier air conditioner. Lennox's Signature variable-capacity condenser runs at very low speed for long stretches, which dehumidifies a lakefront Bronte or Roseland house better on a humid July evening than a single- or two-stage condenser cycling on and off. Goodman does sell an inverter condenser, but the Lennox pairing with its own control is the more refined package. If summer comfort and quiet are on your list, that is a real difference, not marketing.
Free quotes, written pricing.
Warranty: Closer Than You Would Think
- Goodman: 10-year parts with online registration within 60 days, and a lifetime heat exchanger limited warranty on the GMVC96 and GMVM97 for the original owner.
- Lennox: 10-year parts with registration within 60 days, and a lifetime heat exchanger on the SLP99V. Elite and Merit furnaces carry a 20-year heat exchanger.
- Labour: parts only from both factories. A one- or two-year labour warranty comes from the installer, and that is the same whichever furnace you buy.
The takeaway is that the warranty is not a reason to pay more for Lennox. Goodman's coverage on its better furnaces is as long, and both depend on the installer registering the unit on time. The reasons to pay more are comfort, control and refinement.
The Money, Side by Side
- Goodman two-stage 96% furnace (GMVC96), standard replacement: inside the $4,500–$6,500 band where most GTA two-stage replacements land, usually toward the lower end
- Lennox two-stage 96% furnace (EL296V), standard replacement: the same band, usually toward the upper end — the premium at matched tiers is typically $500–$1,500
- Goodman modulating (GMVM97) or Lennox Signature (SLP99V): the top of the $4,300–$7,000 high-efficiency range, with the Lennox at the ceiling once the iComfort control is included
- Either brand paired with a new AC or heat pump in one job: $7,500–$11,500 for furnace and AC together, which saves roughly a thousand dollars against two separate installs
Because the brand premium is fixed and the house is not, the same Lennox quote can be a good deal on a 3,000-square-foot Millcroft two-storey and a poor one on a 1,000-square-foot Aldershot bungalow. Spread the extra over the years you will actually live there and the answer usually becomes obvious.
Verdict: Who Should Choose Which
- Choose Goodman if the property is a rental, a pre-sale refresh or a flip; if the budget is fixed; if you want the widest parts availability; or if you plan to move within five to seven years. Buy the GMVC96 two-stage, not the single-stage, unless the house is very small.
- Choose Lennox if this is your long-term home, you want the quietest and most even system available with zoning, you are also buying a top-tier condenser or heat pump, and a Lennox parts counter is reasonably close.
- Choose either if you are comparing the two brands' mid tiers for a typical Halton or Hamilton two-storey, then decide on the installer, the sizing and the scope of the quote — those will matter more than the badge for the next 15 years.
We install both and we service both, in rentals and in long-term homes alike. If you would like the two priced against each other for your house, our heating installation team will run the heat-loss calculation first, and you can request a written comparison quote from there. The GTA furnace cost guide covers what else moves the price, and best furnace brands for Ontario homes widens the field past these two.
Frequently asked questions
Is Goodman a bad brand?
No. Goodman earned a mixed reputation in the 1990s and early 2000s for thin cabinets and inconsistent quality, but since the Daikin purchase in 2012 the furnaces have been solid, the warranty is among the longest in the value segment, and parts are everywhere. The Goodman failures we see are almost always installation problems: wrong size, poor venting, no commissioning.
How much more does Lennox cost than Goodman?
At the same tier, typically $500–$1,500 more installed, which is the premium most top brands carry over value brands. The gap widens at the top tier once a Lennox communicating thermostat and matched condenser are included, and narrows at the mid tier, where the GMVC96 and the EL296V are close on both features and price.
Are Goodman and Amana the same furnace?
Largely, yes. Amana is Daikin's premium-badged version of the same platforms, often with a longer warranty package, and Daikin-branded furnaces come from the same plants. A Goodman GMVC96 and its Amana equivalent share the core components, so parts and service are the same.
Will a Goodman furnace last as long as a Lennox?
With the same installation quality and the same annual maintenance, we see similar lifespans of 15–20 years from both. Heat exchanger warranties on the better Goodman and Lennox models are both lifetime for the original owner. Lifespan depends far more on correct sizing, clean filters and regular tune-ups than on the name on the cabinet.