Mordak His long do you think you will be in this home? I find the HVAC upgrade prices to be over the top, ridiculous, absurd but quite typical for a GC looking out for himself rather than hs customer. I like the XP14 system best because it is a much nicer condenser and will be quieter. I would want to know what the warranty is for HPX series. The upgrade price on the XP14 should be closer to 1500 range. On the insulation, go with the R15 for the walls. You can always go back and add insulation to attic at a later date if necessary. I think R30 is still standard for Southeast. R38 though would be better. Going back to HVAC, you might ask for a price on 14HPX Lennox HP, AHRI matching #4684268. Has good numbers but cheap condenser and may not be USA made. Again ask about warranty. I still encourage you to follow my recommendations on staged heat strip. Easily it will pay for itself on operating costs. IMO

What are you looking for? The XL18i system is a two stage system, the XL15i system is single stage. The selection of the size of the air handler is very important for best performance/efficiency numbers. 4655313 Active Systems XL15I WEATHERTRON TRANE 4TWX5036B1 *AM7A0C36H31 1225 37600 12.50 15.00 34600 9.25 21800 1 HRCU-A-CB Yes 311 751 Yes TAM7 36 size for the 3 ton XL15i system. 7117217 Active Systems TRANE XL18I TRANE 4TWX8036C1 *AM7A0C42H31 1185 945 37000 13.00 18.00 31400 9.50 20200 1 HRCU-A-CB 255 627 Yes TAM7 42 size for the 3 ton XL18i system. If this is not a budget decision, then get the XL18i system as I listed with 10 KW heat strip. Pay attention to the air handler model/size. If you are able to interpret the AhRI numbers, you can readily see there are some marginal savings with the XL18i system on cooling and good savings on heating with the higher HSPF efficiency. You are getting some very good pricing. I am done here. IMO Good Luck This post was edited by tigerdunes on Tue, May 20, 14 at 6:37

Quote 1: Does not qualify for the tax credit, if that's what they're leading you to believe. Good outdoor unit, but it bothers me they are not including a variable speed air handler. Quote 2: This company may just have a lower overhead and overall lower prices. If your realtor has had good experience in the past, I wouldn't have a problem. But I would suggest stepping the outdoor unit up to the Amana line (subsidiary of Goodman), which is a more premium product to compare to the other units you've been quoted. In general I would avoid Goodman/Amana because I think there's better out there, but if it's what fits the space and qualifies for the tax credit, then it would be worth considering. The Carrier units that would qualify are huge physically outside. Quote 4: Sounds like they're oversizing the equipment--not a good thing. I would avoid. 800 sqft. in our area shouldn't require 2 tons, and if the old 1.5 ton did the job in the past, that's what I'd install. Also they are not informing you that if you register the units with Trane within 60 days of install, warranty should be 10 years on all parts. And yes, a humidifier should give an added sense of warmth to the air and hence allow you to set your thermostat lower.

echo your 3rd party contact is telling you correct. while the 3F40B VS air handler is an AHRI approved match, that is not the best choice. 1384601 Active Systems XL15I WEATHERTRON TRANE 4TWX5042A1 4TEE3F40B1 43000 11.90 14.25 43000 8.60 28200 here is a list of better air handler choices. 4385470 Active Systems XL15I WEATHERTRON TRANE 4TWX5042A1 *AM7A0C48H41 44000 12.50 15.25 43000 9.20 27400 1382172 Active Systems XL15I WEATHERTRON TRANE 4TWX5042A1 4TEE3F65B1 42500 12.50 15.00 42000 9.00 27200 I like either of these two choices over the 3F07A because of the higher HSPF heating efficiency which would be a plus for a Md location. IMO