pricing for the heatpump isn't terrible. Its nice equipment. 2 stage condensorm variable speed blower. - etc. Can't you have this contractor do the additional electric work for a good price? They don't sound too terrible. How good are your windows? What type of insulation do you have in walls and attic? 9ft celings everywhere and some rooms with 12ft and 16ft is alot of space with 2600 sq. feet. 4 tons could be too small. I would prefer 5-ton 2 stage. You could run most the time at low stage. Its possible your ductwork won't support more than 3.5/4 ton though. I wouldn't think you would need new electric to go outside to your new heatpump condensor. Its very possible you would need new electric to the air-handler to power the heat-strip. Regarding the electric and the hotwater tank you might want to consider a heatpump hot water tank to save on your electric consumption. What do you pay for electric? You could try calling some contractors and asking for some phone estimates. If they can't give you a rough idea over the phone tell them sorry. There is contractors that want business and are competitive. You need to find them when they are slow. Maybe they are still busy because of the winter season. btw- how does the current A/C work on hot days? is your ductowork noisy? I think the 2-year warranty is good. Hopefully any problems with the equipment install would be uncovered in 2 years.

Nonsense about oil heat adversely affecting sale of my home in my area. As I have previously explained, I live in a relatively affluent subdivision of early 1970s residences in the MD suburbs of DC. The homes built in 1970-1972 all have gas heat. In 1973 a moratorium was created preventing any new gas hookups and thus the second half of the homes all have oil heat. I do follow property values in our area quite closely and the selling prices have no apparent correlation with heating fuel type. As a retired military service member, I have bought and sold many homes - likely more that most here. Heating method, while an item of immense interest in this forum was not at the top of the list of considerations re any home my wife and I bought. Schools, yes. # BRs and # baths, location, age of home, location, commute, condition, perceived re-sale, all yes. (And likely many other considerations, including working heating. lol) I'm a bit of a TV junkie now that I'm retired. I do watch "House Hunters" and I have NEVER heard a house hunter identify heating fuel as a consideration in their search. There is a lot of bad advice given here due to not "doing the math" - all things being equal, I would prefer to have NG heat rather than oil. Cheaper operating costs, not concern about deliveries, etc. However, I have done the best I can to insulate, reduce heating set point, shift the heating burden to heat pump, and closely monitor costs. I don't have NG available, but based on the costs to bring in NG (based on the experience of a few of my neighbors that were able) it makes absolute no economic sense IN MY CASE. If you don't use very much of an expensive product, your absolute costs may not be that great and the incentive to convert may well be lessened. If you visit the roofing forum, I suspect they'll identify the roof as the most important factor effecting price... in the landscaping forum it will be the grounds, in the kitchen forum, the kitchen and bath. Heating is certainly an important concern, but we need not cry wolf about it.

Arizona Rheem/Rudd is one of the most overlooked and underrated HVAC brands in the residential market. Here is my personal checklist. Obviously correct sizing is important. If you are unsure, then request a load calculation or even perform it yourself for a nominal fee online. there are three equally important components-quality HVAC, the install by dealer, and probably the most overlooked and disregarded is the ductwork system. these are my minimum specs for a new HP system. both outside and inside units should be replaced to have a properly matched system. 15 SEER, 12.5+ EER, 9 HSPF best matching VS air handler full BTUs in both cooling and heating for your rated size R-410a refrigerant(same as Puron) scroll compressor preferred electronic demand defrost preferred thermostat with "dehumidify on demand" feature staged backup heat strips new and correctly sized refrigerant line set you want a thorough inspection of your ductwork system. size, overall condition, supply and return lines, insulation qualities, leak test, etc. any hot/cold spot issues in your home should be addressed. I would only use authorized dealers for the various brands that provide quotes. see mfg websites. I would look at Trane/AmStd,Rheem/Rudd,Carrier/Bryant. Depending on your location, I would not purchase a new HP system that did not have electronic demand defrost. Pricing varies between markets, brands, and models. IMO

Missstella To your last question. Without going into technical jargon, electronic demand defrost is a feature on heat pumps that eliminate unnecessary, nuisance, and costly defrost calls. It is found only on a few brand/models of heat pumps including Trane/AmStd, York, and Rudd/Rheem. It is much more desirable over the cheap time/temp method of defrost. I don't think I said 2 ton was oversized. since this is upstairs system, I would probably stick to a 2 1/2 ton assuming you have has no cooling and/or humidity issues. Here is the Rheem system I would consider. 3879236 Active Systems RHEEM RPQL SERIES RHEEM MANUFACTURING COMPANY RPQL-030JEZ � RCFL-H*3617 RGPE-05?BMK? 29800 12.50 15.00 29200 9.00 18400 Existing lineset size will need to be verified. You would need a good two stg thermostat suitable for DF operation along with outdoor sensor. The heat pump would offer about 29 KBTUs and the two stg furnace would have a low stg of 35 KBTUs and high stage of 40 KBTUs which should be more than adequate for 1000 sq ft upstairs living space. IMO