Brandon couple ‘so grateful’ for free furnace

A Brandon mom and dad say they are ecstatic about the new, free furnace their family of five received from a local heating and plumbing company — which came in the nick of time now that temperatures are starting to dip below zero.

“We are very excited and surprised — and so grateful,” Audrey Huang said Tuesday morning from the kitchen of the family’s Stickney Avenue home, while the furnace was being installed in the basement.

“We just want to make it as warm as possible for our kids.”

The family’s old furnace failed several times and finally “conked out on Christmas Eve last year,” Huang said.

Fixing it was not an option, she added.

“We have a mortgage, car payments and the three kids’ activities — how am I going to add another loan?”

Huang’s husband, Ryan Choken, said he was able to do quick fixes to get their furnace going in the past, but by January they had no heat.

“After looking for different alternatives, even trying to get parts from Winnipeg, I contacted my uncle, and we got some baseboard heaters and put them around everywhere,” Choken said.

Late last month, Huang said she was scrolling through social media when she noticed the Feel the Love program offered through Brandon Heating and Plumbing and the furnace manufacturing company Lennox.

The local plumbing company was looking for people to nominate friends, family and community members who were deserving of a new furnace.

“I sat looking at my phone and said I’ll give it a shot. It was last minute, so I wasn’t hopeful, but then they contacted us. And I’m still in shock,” Huang said.

Lennox donated all the heating and cooling equipment, and Brandon Heating and Plumbing supplied all the labour and materials for the installation, said Kraig Peterson, Brandon Heating and Plumbing’s sales and service manager.

“There are some really good people who have done some nice things in the community that should be recognized,” Peterson said.

“And there are some families that maybe don’t have the means to be able to replace their furnace, so it feels nice to be able to help somebody that way as well.”

Brandon Heating and Plumbing received 14 applications this year, which was narrowed down to five. Peterson made home visits to those final five to inspect their equipment and gauge the need.

The furnace in Huang and Choken’s home was 30 years old and not worth the cost of fixing it, he said.

“For a basic furnace you’re looking at between $5,000 to $6,000 for a completely functioning unit and removal of the old one,” Peterson said.

“We bring the furnace itself, a filter rack, a new thermostat and the ductwork alterations. If the chimney for the water heater needs to be replaced to bring it up to code, we do that and all the drainage, electrical and everything else required to make it fully functional,” he said.

“And every furnace that we take out, it’s mandatory to get a gas permit with Manitoba Hydro. They’ll come and inspect the furnace just to make sure it’s installed as per the gas code.”

This is the fifth year that Brandon Heating and Plumbing has participated in the Feel the Love program, installing two furnaces supplied by Lennox each year.

The first install this year was for a Brandon man who was nominated by one of his co-workers for his work with the African community and newcomers in Brandon.

And while the applications have increased each year, Peterson said he’d like to see up to 50 people apply in spring 2026.

“It’s a fantastic program and doesn’t cost the customer anything other than a little bit of their time,” Peterson said.

“When I call the families that are successful, you can hear the joy and relief in their voices, knowing that they’re going to get a furnace this year,” he said.

“This family was just so appreciative and excited.”

The last item on the furnace installation to-do list for Huang and Choken was to learn how to work the new thermostat, which looks like a mini iPad.

It has a sliding scale to adjust the settings for the heat as well as the air conditioner, with an app that allows pairing with an iPhone.

“That and the furnace are probably the most modern things we have in this house,” Huang said as she laughed.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» enviromichele.bsky.social