Heating/Cooling Brands - most expensive to least expensive

[mmr]

We are looking for a new heating/cooling system for our home, and we've gotten several estimates. Can anyone list the brands from most expensive to least expensive and/or tell me which brands are equivalent to others?

B/c labor is always mixed in with the quote and not necessarily itemized, I'd like to know if I should be looking for a less expensive (not cheap!) brand than what was quoted. The quotes we're received were for Amana, Carrier and Bryant.

Thanks ahead of time.

[allstar08]

It is not always the case, but the better brands ie. Trane, Carrier,Rheem, have stricter dealer guide lines. Factory training is important and Amana, and other off brands don't have the backing that the bigger brands do. Therefore the installation practices and the warranty of the bigger brands for the most part will be better. Going with the cheapest brand will only give you head aches and a a thinner wallet in the long run.

[ptcooper]

We do not know where you live. It makes a difference. All brands are not available in your every area. For example, Ducane might not be in Seattle, but it is in Raleigh. Philco is not in Raleigh, but it is readily available in San Diego.

Most expensive in Raleigh could be American Standard, then Trane. Both are the same. Least expensive could be Gibson, Westinghouse, and then GE.

You say "cost"? Intertherm might cost more than Carrier, but it comes with a 1-year all parts warranty, and a 5-year compressor warranty. But, it does not mean that it is better than Carrier.

We have some three year old, middle-class $300,000 homes with Carrier A/C units and Gibson gas furnaces. Why? For psychological reasons. The Carrier names is well known and will be send by the public, while the Gibson furnace is least expensive. We also have $600,000 homes with Goodman equipment. As well as low-end homes with Trane.

Lennox is not among the least expensive. But, when the compressor went out, I had to order it from either Charlotte, NC, or Dallas, TX or Iowa. And, the capacitor was only located in Iowa. What did I do? My customer drove to Charlotte, 350 miles round trip, to get the compressor. And, the capacitor came from the Goodman Distributor in Raleigh.

In summary, if cost is an issue, go with the least expensive brand that has at least a 5-year all parts warranty, 10-year compressor warranty and 20-year heat exchanger warranty.

Did I say, before you sign the dotted line, if the dealer offered a 1-year labor warranty, tell him you would like him to change it to 18 months.

[tpa-fl]

Most expensive? Any brand made installed by a hack. Not only will it cost you a fortune to run, it'll also cost you more in early failures & breakdowns and the eventual replacement of the entire system.

Least expensive? Going with a reputable contractor up-front. I just paid quite a bit of money to replace someone else's "great deal on AC". Figuring it'll save me close to $300/month in electrical usage.