Trane XR80 and Aprilaire 600

[tsmithgolf2000]

I am building a house and I think I am getting an XR80 with a Aprilaire 600 humidifer (which I think Trane rebrands). The builder's HVAC guy wanted to put a dial control on the unit down in the crawl space to control the humidifier which I wasn't to fond of. I keep reading that you can get thermostat/humidistat built into one and the one I read most about is the Honeywell VisionPRO IAQ. So my questions are...

1) Will the Honeywell VisionPRO IAQ work with gas furnace (Trane) and Aprilaire 600? Any others I should consider?

2) I never thought of a dehumidifier but I see that the Honeywell can control one of those too. Is that a good thing to have? I am in North Carolina and we have very humid summers.

[mayguy]

You can use the IAQ with your system.. Since you are in an area that can be hot and humid, I'd look into upgrading to the XV80. You'll have variable speed blower/Two stage heating, and be able to control the humidity. Also, a quiet system!

[BaldLoonie]

Why not build a tight house and forget the humidifier?

Low humidity comes from infiltration. If you build the house well, your cooling & heating costs will be reduced as will your need for a humidifier!