nms21...while you're at it you should get the 50 gal water heater. At 3000 SF, I assume you have 4 Bedrooms..some day if you sell the 50 gal might be attractive. I sure do prefer having the extra in my house on those days we all want showers around the same time. I doubt it could be much extra $. My quotes were from Hutchinson, P R Sanders,Bovio and Monday is Black HOrse Pike Plumbing and Heating. I sent BHP plumbing and heating one of the quotes from one of the first two, but I took out all the prices and names. I would like to see what a smaller outfit prices for the same equip. They all have A+ bbb ratings. I got them off the njcleanenergy website and all have done a good amount of jobs under the program. One of them quoted me 13244 after all rebates for the Carrier Infinity 98 gas furnace and infinity 17 2-stage air eligible for the 1100 rebate. That was with a 50 gal direct vent hot water heater and attic sealing. I just don't think I need that hvac. Sounds like a "cadillac" system..I hope he emails me back with something more reasonable. When he was here I thought his would be one of the lower prices....but his quote is for different stuff!

Here is another tidbit, The furnace was set on low fan speed, when i complained that I had little air movement they upped it to medium. It still was not to par with my old 5 ton furnace at 2000cfm, so they set it on high. Is it normal to have the 4 ton furnace set on high? It is a 2 stage furnace and compressor and when it is on, it is loud, especially at full speed. Any ideas? Did I need a 5 ton and was sold this in error? I am in need of advise. Thanks to all in advance. also, i clocked the cycles last night and it is at 6 cycles per hour. The outside temp was about 78 and inside set at 75. Please help. A/C Cycle 1020 off 1025 on 1034 off 1039 on 1048 off 1054 on 1102 off 1109 on 1118 off 1123 on 1132 off 1138 on

Now the numbers are on a little on the high side, but without knowing your house I am only speculating. An 80K BTU furnace should keep you toasty. I am in central NJ and I think Staten Island tends to be 2-3 degrees warmer in the winter. An over sized AC will short cycle which results in poor humidity control. The AC needs to run for longer periods of time in order to give it enough time to dry out the air. My concern is the 4 ton AC may be too big. Do you know what size AC you have now and how well it has performed? I don't think you ever stated the total area of the conditioned space. I personally don't think you need an electronic air cleaner. I do recommend getting a 4 inch media filter. The bigger filters have lower air resistance and last 6-12 months.

mike_home, you make the perfect argument for why Manual J should be mandatory for all HVAC contractors. It would protect the customer from hacks and unscrupulous contractors. Smaller equipment means less cost for electricity over the life of the AC unit and less cost up front which saves the buyer money. The electricity savings is why the utility companies and many states are making it part of their mandatory requirements to have their HVAC contractors perform Manual J. Here's a good explanation from Dean Heating and Cooling on HVAC Talk Forum that explains the benefits of using a Manual J and also talking about proper duct design (Manual D). "A load calculation known as Manual J is the only correct way to determine heat loss and heat gain. Once equipment size has been determined, the duct system is designed by Manual D. These are design protocols formulated by ACCA. Duct design takes into account the location and potential gain (or loss) of having ducts in an attic, crawlspace, or even exposed on a roof. You are correct the installing a larger air conditioner on an undersized duct system is pointless. We have all seen it many times. Frequently, putting in smaller equipment delivers greater comfort when the existing equipment is too big. For example, a 4 ton unit on a 2.5 ton duct system can only deliver 2.5 tons worth of air flow. The oversized equipment still uses the electricity for 4 tons of cooling but the delivery system still limits what arrives in the space. The equipment actually uses more energy because of inadequate air flow. Plus it cycles more often than smaller equipment so its life is shortened." Here's a good discussion about Manual J calculations also from the HVAC Talk forum. There's an HVAC designer and an HVAC contractor that post over there that seem to have the most input on Manual J. Their user names are "dan sw fl" (AKA Designer Dan) and lkapigian.