7 minute read | Updated September 27, 2026

If you are pricing a Lennox furnace for a house in Anne Arundel County, you have probably found that a clear installed price is hard to pin down. The reason is simple: the furnace is only one line on the invoice, and the house it goes into sets the rest. Most people reading this are replacing an existing furnace rather than buying their first, which matters, because the condition of the ductwork, venting, and flue you already have is what moves the price.

At Scardina Home Services, we are a Lennox Premier Dealer and our technicians are factory-trained on the equipment we install. This piece walks through what drives the price of a Lennox furnace installed in a Maryland home, how the tiers actually differ, and why we assess your system in your home instead of quoting over the phone.

Why there is no single Lennox furnace price

Two houses on the same street can carry very different furnace bills. The equipment is only part of it. What moves the installed number is everything around the box:

• Fuel type and what is already there. Gas, oil, and heat pump work each carry different labor and material paths.
• Ductwork and airflow. The real question is whether your existing supply and return ducts can deliver the airflow the new furnace requires. If they cannot, correcting them is part of the job.
• Venting. A high-efficiency condensing furnace produces condensate that has to be drained and, in many basements, pumped, and it vents differently than a standard-efficiency unit. An 80% unit may be able to reuse suitable existing venting after inspection. That difference is a real cost item.
• Gas line, electrical, and the flue on shared appliances. Pull an old furnace off a common flue with a water heater and the flue may need to be resized so the water heater still drafts safely.
• The permit. A replacement in Anne Arundel County is permitted and inspected work, which we handle as part of the job.

The Lennox tiers, in plain terms

Lennox sorts its gas furnaces into three families: Merit, Elite, and Signature. The marketing names matter less than three specs that actually change your comfort and your gas bill: efficiency, staging, and the blower motor.

• Efficiency (AFUE). AFUE, or Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, is the percentage of fuel a furnace turns into usable heat over a season. An 80% AFUE unit vents through metal venting; a condensing unit (roughly 90% and up) wrings extra heat out of the exhaust, which changes the venting and adds a condensate line.
• Staging. A single-stage furnace is either full-on or off. A two-stage unit can run at a lower first stage for milder days, so it cycles less and holds a steadier temperature. Modulating units fine-tune output in small increments for the tightest control.
• Blower motor. A fixed-speed blower runs at one speed. A constant-torque blower delivers more uniform airflow against duct resistance, and a variable-speed blower adjusts its speed to help maintain the required airflow. The two are not identical, and neither eliminates the need for properly sized ductwork.

Here is the part worth knowing before a salesperson leads with a tier name: the family does not lock in the specs. Lennox offers 80% AFUE models within the Elite line, and Signature includes both two-stage and modulating options depending on the model. So the tier tells you roughly how much comfort technology is on the table; the specific model tells you what you are actually buying. Below is how they generally stack up, with the caveat that we confirm the exact model against your home before quoting.

Merit series: the ML180E and ML180V

The Merit line is Lennox’s value-focused tier, and it includes both standard-efficiency and high-efficiency models. The ML180E and ML180V discussed here are around 80% AFUE. The difference between them is the blower: the ML180E uses a constant-torque motor and the ML180V uses a variable-speed motor that adjusts its speed to help maintain the required airflow. For a lot of Anne Arundel homes, these ML180 models are a sensible choice: a straightforward gas replacement, proven reliability, and a lower-cost option for suitable installations. If your priority is a dependable furnace that heats the house without adding condensate work to the job, these ML180 models are worth a look. Ask us which model we recommend for your home.

Elite series

The Elite tier offers additional combinations of features depending on the model, not a single guaranteed step up. Some Elite models are condensing units with higher efficiency; others are 80% AFUE. Depending on the model, Elite can pair two-stage burners with a constant-torque or variable-speed blower. A higher-AFUE model can reduce fuel use compared with a lower-efficiency furnace. Two-stage heating, when included, can help maintain steadier temperatures. Read the model, not just the family name.

Signature series

Signature is the top tier, built for the quietest operation and the tightest temperature control Lennox offers. Some Signature models modulate (fine-tuning output in small steps); others are two-stage with a variable-speed blower. This tier makes the most sense in a well-sealed home, or paired with zoning and a communicating thermostat (a thermostat that talks back and forth with the system to manage staging and airflow), where the equipment can actually use its range. In a leaky older rancher, the premium is harder to recover, and we will say so.

If you are weighing a furnace replacement while also thinking about cooling, it helps to understand the single-stage, two-stage, and variable-speed AC options on the cooling side. Just note that compressor stages on an air conditioner are a separate thing from furnace blower speeds, even though the terms overlap.

Oil heat, because it is still real here

Parts of Anne Arundel County still run on oil, and we install and service Lennox oil furnaces as well as boilers and air handlers. If you are on oil, the decision is different from the gas conversation. Converting from oil to natural gas depends on whether the utility can provide service to your property and what the connection and installation would cost. Compare those costs with replacing the existing oil furnace, expected fuel expenses, and ongoing maintenance. Where natural gas is not available, a modern oil furnace is a legitimate upgrade over a 25-year-old unit: better AFUE, cleaner combustion, and a system a factory-trained tech can dial in.

Oil is not a consolation prize. For a house without access to natural gas service, a properly sized modern oil furnace can be a sound investment when weighed against conversion costs and the household’s operating costs.

Whichever fuel you are on, heading into winter with a checked system matters. Our pre-season heating inspection checklist covers gas furnaces, heat pumps, and dual-fuel systems.

Federal tax credits

On tax credits: the federal 25C energy-efficiency credit is not available for equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025. If you are told a new furnace this year still qualifies for 25C, that information is out of date.

Permits in Anne Arundel County

A furnace replacement is permitted, inspected work, and we pull the permit and coordinate the inspection as part of a proper installation. The county publishes its mechanical permit fees, which include a $43 application fee and separate replacement-system and heating-system categories. Which classification applies depends on the specifics of your job, so rather than guess, we build the required permits and inspections into your estimate. Doing it by the book protects you at resale. The Anne Arundel County permits office is at 410-222-7730.

Why we quote in your house

A price quoted over the phone cannot account for every installation requirement. The ductwork and whether it can carry the required airflow, the venting path, the flue you may share with the water heater, the condensate drain, the electrical, and a proper load calculation all set the real price. That load calculation looks at the home’s heat loss, including insulation, windows, air sealing, and other building characteristics, not square footage alone. An accurate Lennox furnace quote in Maryland comes from a technician who can assess your system in your home and confirm what the house needs. That is the number we will stand behind.

Learn more about our furnace installation work and the rest of our heating services.

Get a real Lennox furnace quote

Scardina Home Services
8082 Veterans Highway, Millersville, MD 21108
Phone: 410.782.0937

Ready for a number built around your house instead of a guess? Request an in-home estimate and we will give you the honest tier-by-tier breakdown for your home.

Sources

• Anne Arundel County permit fee schedule
• Supreme Court docket 25-879, furnace efficiency rule vacated and remanded, June 8, 2026
• IRS FAQs on the 25C energy-efficiency credit under Public Law 119-21 (OBBB)