need help deciding, very confused in quotes with 2 different companies, I live in southwest Pa, currently have 30 yr old Ge forced air electric. 2 story colonial and full basement. The 2 story is @ 1,000sq ft per floor. Company 1 gives 3 quotes carrier 15 seer 3 ton hp #25hbc536a003 and fan coil fv4cnf002 heat strip 20 k non prog thermostat $7320 2nd quote, same as 1st but change fan coil to fb4cnp036 $7,000 3rd quote carrier 13 seer 3t 25hcd336a003 $6490 2nd company quotes carrier 13 seer and coil $5915 no change in current old thermostat but going to a 3.5 ton next proposal, 16 infinity two state hp infinity fan coil and infinity thermostat $10,895-1,000 cool cash rebate=$9895 and upped it to a 4ton unit and this includes 10yr parts and labor, the first company is charging $850 for that. Both said existing duct was ok.

where does one find "degree days Centigrade scale" for their climate? I am in Sarnia, Ontario and this is an area where a heat pump supposedly feasible. (i would mate it with a high efficiency furnace), but all the techs i speak to have advised against it saying i am wasting my money, it won't work...etc. I have gotten a couple of quotes for 16 seer 2 stage heat pumps with HE furnace and they have been 11-12K. i can get the same setup with 16 seer ac for about 8K... doesn't that seem like a huge jump for a heat pump over an a/c condensor? i'm about to give in and just go with an a/c unit, but the math says it is about 30% cheaper to heat my house with at heat pump over a 95% efficency furnace...and that is using a COP of 2.5 at 30 deg f. i am thinking about importing my own equipment from the states where prices seem much more reasonable (96% amana furnace 16 seer 2 stage heatpump, coil, txv for $3800) and just having a local guy who is willing to install it. that blows some of the rebates that are available, but it still might be worth it. all i know is it would take more than a decade (and likely much more...) to recoup an extra $4k.

I think we solved the mystery! I did check the condensation pipe that comes out of the wall on the outside of the house and it was dripping. then I tested my cleaning lady who had been in the day before we arrived to ask if she noticed the smell. she is OCD about cleaning so I figured she would have noticed for sure. she said the house smelled fine, but added that she left. few bathroom rugs in the dryer when she left. so, we have had a few times when people shove the dryer around and the vent comes loose, and I figured. that's what happened and the moist air was leaking into the house. it just so happens that the dryer is just across the hall from the return air vent and I guess it sucked in that damp air and spread it around. things smell much better but still worried if the coils may have bacteria as a result.

Mine is similar and I was told it is normal. When outdoor temp is below 30, defrost kicks in and when this happens it blows cold air like AC in the summer. Instead of turning it off, I'd lower the thermostat a couple degrees, put another layer/sweater on and if it's sunny open the blinds/curtains on the south and west sides to get passive solar. You might also compare room temp with register temp when it runs for about 10 minutes. I was told if the register temp is about 15f higher than room temp then it's normal. I notice that when outdoor temp is over 35f then my register temp is about 18f higher than room temp. Heatpump is not very efficient when outdoor temp is below 30.