HVAC Quote Question

[Kilgore Trout]

Hey all - I've gotten three quotes on a new duel fuel heat pump/furnace combo for my house. A bit of backround - the house is in Maryland, so we typically get mid-80's to low 90's and humid in the summer and 30ish in the winter. Occasionally it can drop to 10ish degrees at night, but mid 20's is more typical. The house has two 1000 gallon propane tanks, but no natural gas. There are three total units in the house - a three ton heat pump with electric heat upstairs (single stage), a carrier infinity duel fuel for the left side of the house and a the one I am replacing (a 24 year old, 3 ton, 90% propane furnace and ac system - the furnace has serious rust damage and so it is time for it to go)

I am going with heat pump/furnace since the current rebates (federal, state, and equipment) mean the price is basically the same as a furnace AC combo. The heat pump will let me run heat via heat pump when the temps are reasonable and switch to propane when it drops more.

One company is Carrier. They have quoted me 13K for the basic system (80% furnace, 14 SEER heat pump, budget carrier line). Due to rebates, all of the other options are remarkably similar in price - they are $17K to $20K going from a two stage 15 seer all the way up to a fully variable speed infinity series 19 SEER. Given the relatively close spread, I am really considering just the $13K or $20K option. The company has excellent reviews and several coworkers have used them with good results.

Second company is Trane. The basic option there is single stage 95% furnace and single stage 14 seer, its $11.5K, so definitely a better deal. Two-stage furnace and heat pump sets me back another $2.5K or so. Great reviews on the company here as well.

Third company is lennox - base model (basically the same as the Trane above) was $15K and two stage was $17k. So, I have pretty much eliminated them based on price - the other two companies seem better.

So, two questions to the group:
1. Does the carrier quote seem out of line? From what I can tell, its pricey on the mid end models, but competitive at the top end.
2. Is the variable speed worth it over the base model Trane? The projected savings would only make up about half the difference over 10 years so the question is whether the comfort is worth it?

 

[pcmeiners]

Single stage 14 seer? How old is this model? Your offered a 14 SEER unit (old technology) as this is most profitable to the installer. Secondly Carrier/ Trane/Lennox are over rated and over priced, bet the profit margin for the installer is great. Lastly there is no need to have a furnace as a backup due to lower temperatures with modern heat pumps.
Mitsubishi or Fujitsu make very efficient and quiet units, capable of heating to lower than -25° F
Please post your house square foot size and your present heat system output, for a start.

 

[dcg9381]

Lastly there is no need to have a furnace as a backup due to lower temperatures with modern heat pumps.

I was able to get heat working in a few homes during an extended power outage by powering up their natural gas furnace with a small generator (120V). We're talking homes that had no power for 5-7 days. I dunno how reliable the utilities are in Maryland, but I'd like to keep the natural gas option if it were me.

I like the variable speed options, dunno if I'd pony up big money for them. What I like about them is that they are quiet.

I've always read that the biggest difference in HVAC installs is the work of the contractor.

 

[pcmeiners]

"but I'd like to keep the natural gas option if it were me."

I did not say remove the old system, I would leave it in place just for redundancy for an electric outage as you mentioned. Old and rusty, no problem for emergency heating , unless it leaks carbon monoxide. I would not spend thousand to replace just in case the electric goes out for a short time.

 

[MovingAlong]

So, two questions to the group:
1. Does the carrier quote seem out of line? From what I can tell, its pricey on the mid end models, but competitive at the top end.
2. Is the variable speed worth it over the base model Trane? The projected savings would only make up about half the difference over 10 years so the question is whether the comfort is worth it?

The quote is what they will do the job for. It's in line...

But to your question of variable speed - it changed my whole world! Trane, fully variable with humidity control. Cost real money but turned my summers into joy! Cannot overstate how much of a difference it made. System ran 23 out of 24 hours a day, still cut my electric bill nearly in half... Most of the time it idled at 30-40%, so the air was always just barely moving throughout the house. No hot spots, no cold spots. Can't speak for others, but for me it was worth it. Sold the house a year later - "worth it" refers to the value to me, though in dollars it should have paid for itself in 10-12 years with the energy savings I was seeing.

Oh, and the outside unit! Could lean against it running at 100% and talk on a cell phone without the other party knowing anything about it. So quiet...

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Well, I got another quote today. Two stage Rheem 15 seer heat pump and two stage 96% furnace with variable speed blower for $12K. Seems like the best of the bunch at the moment. They also have Carrier so I have asked for a quote on a variable speed system for both Carrier and Rheem. Supposed to get that tomorrow.

Current furnace that is being replaced is 78K BTU.

 

[jshillin]

Seriously look into an inverter. My house stays so much more comfortable and uses less electric because unless it's really hot or really cold, it runs at much less than 100% capacity. Check our Amana and Daiken to get some ideas on quotes. I'm not sure where you are in MD, but there are several good companies in the MD/PA area to choose from. I had my downstairs unit replaced 6 years ago and my upstairs unit replaced this year.