Replacing Heat Pump, advice needed

[RyanHughes]

@RyanHughes, I cannot access your profile. I appear to have "insufficient privileges"

Email addresses aren't allowed in open posts, but if you edit your profile to include yours I would be happy to refer you to someone. I'm also in Montgomery County, so I'm familiar with many of the companies that serve the area.

[Joykins]

thanks, will do.

[Joykins]

Also media filter cabinet.

OK, dumb question here but it isn't easy to google--right now we have a filter that goes into the air handler. Is this replaced by a media filter cabinet or supplemented by it? And what advantage does the media filter cabinet give? (note: we have airborne allergies--will this improve that?)

[catmanacman]

dont base your decision on the price they charged for 1 thermostat .if you have had good service and they have responded to your needs in the past ask them to price you more options .

[Joykins]

Our current contractor's price on the base model--their lowest, they said--is simply unaffordable for us. We can't do it. And considering they are charging ~ 1.3 times as much as the next most expensive contractor (for a base model) I see no reason to consider them anymore. Seriously. Their work has been acceptable but not awesome.

Also their guy did not look at anything but the current unit and our circuit box. Didn't even ask about the vents in the rest of the house. I think if I had to do it again I would explain to him the peculiarity of how we use our vents and the fact that we only have 1 (closed off) vent in our finished-ish basement...will do that with the next batch and email the others.

[Joykins]

Just an update...got one more contractor to come out and give a proposal. I feel more confident about this one as he really made an effort to look at our house's specific needs. He and the company came recommended, and the company has excellent reviews (and a lot of them) on Angie's list.

Proposal

3A. - mid-level - 15 SEER TraneXR13- 2.5 ton Condenser (Climatuff compressor) #T4TWB3030C1000A
w Trane Hyperion (Variable Speed )Air Handler #TAM7A0B30H21SB


3B. - base model - 14.5 SEER TraneXB13- 2.5 ton Condenser (Climatuff compressor) #T4TWB3030C1000A
w Trane Hyperion (variable speed) Air Handler#TAM7A0B30H21SB

Both at a reasonable price, although of course 3A is more.

We are probably going to go with 3B. This contractor also proposes adding a new vent return for better air flow (which has been a problem in our house) and will put a heating vent into my home office (which needs it horribly as currently I use an electric heater in there; I started using a basement room as a home office in 2011) for a small additional cost. I am hoping that going from an (estimated) 5-7 SEER to a 14.5 SEER unit will save some noticeable money on our electric bill as well (if not exactly pay for itself).

There is a 10-year Trane extended labor warranty offered at, let's say about 10% of the system price; is this worth getting?

[catmanacman]

3a is a good set up it qualifies for the 300 dollar tax credit ,and yes i would get the extended warranty

[tigerdunes]

3A is a very nice system and the one I would recommend over the 2 you listed.

You might save a few bucks with the GAM5 high eff air handler but not var speed.

What size heat strip did dealer quote?

Very surprised these Trane systems are less expensive than the Carrier Comfort 13 system I suggested.

The Ext warranty reduces your risk but comes with a cost usually about 10% of purchase price.

IMO

[Joykins]

3A is a very nice system and the one I would recommend over the 2 you listed.

You might save a few bucks with the GAM5 high eff air handler but not var speed.

What size heat strip did dealer quote?

So far every dealer has quoted a 10kw heat strip.

Very surprised these Trane systems are less expensive than the Carrier Comfort 13 system I suggested.

I only said the Trane prices were reasonable--I looked up approx. wholesale price range online--whether it is more expensive or not seems to depend on who is doing the quote.

If we get 3B we can afford the vent/duct upgrades we need and the whole house humidifier my husband apparently has wanted for years and years and I just discovered, and possibly the warranty.