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Mar 21, 2023

Contractors Rate Furnace, Air Conditioner, Large Kitchen Appliance, and Water Heater Brands

Top 10 Furnace & Air Conditioner, Large Kitchen Appliance, and Water Heater Brands

Image courtesy MatildaDark | AdobeStock

The residential building products and materials market is diverse. A single product category may have dozens of manufacturers and brands from which contractors can choose. But which brands are preferred? 

That’s the question The Farnsworth Group (TFG) ventured to answer in its latest Contractor Brand Ratings, which surveyed a mix of residential construction pros from remodelers to tradespeople to builders, asking their preferred brand across more than 30 product categories. 

Over the next several weeks, we’ll be going through those categories in a series of articles to figure out exactly what building products and materials contractors are choosing (as well as which they know about and prefer). 

Contractor Preferences for Appliances and Equipment

In its second major section, TFG’s Contractor Brand Ratings showcase the top 10 most used, most preferred brands of “Furnance & Air Conditioners,” “Large Kitchen Appliances,” and “Water Heaters.” 


furnace and air conditioner brand preferences for contractors

While American Standard and Carrier top the list of furnance and air conditioner brands preferred by contractors, no brand achieved a "Good" rating (i.e., 4.6 and above). Still, there is a clear correlation between a brand's rating and its usage. The four best rated brands, for instance—American Standard, Carrier, Rheem and Lennox—are reportedly used by more than half of all respondents; compared to the bottom two brands—Heil and RUUD—which are used by only about a quarter.


large kitchen appliance brands preferences for contractors

Much like The Farnsworth Group's findings on furnaces and air conditioner brands, rating and usage appear correlated when it comes to large kitchen appliance brands; though, the rating is not an exact measure of usage. For instance, while Samsung achieved the highest rating in the category, the most used brand is reportedly LG—which is used by nearly three-quarters of respondents. LG is also the most well known brand in the category.


contractor preferences for water heaters

Whirlpool was the only water heater brand to achieve a "Good" rating, recieving a 5.2 from respondents. It was also the brand reportedly best known and most used.