andre 12,000 BTUs= 1 ton for a three ton system, you want both 36,000 BTUs in both cooling and heating. many HPs depending on brand, mdl, system configuration shortchange the homeowner on the heating side and sometimes both. how can you tell? check the AHRI HP Directory. and I would recommend anyone considering any new HVAC system to wait and see the standards to qualify for the tax credit which reportedly will be included in the expected Federal Govt stimulus package. Don't you love how our government spends taxpayer money? and as I recall from your past threads, you should request a load calc because I suspect a 2 1/2 ton is borderline undersized for you and the extra 1/2 ton would certainly help you on your heating costs. ryan is steering you in the right direction. I have the XL14i(R-410a) dual fuel system and while it is a nice HP, I would have gotten the XL15i but it had not been introduced at the time of my install some four yrs ago. IMO

Geo-thermal can have a long payback. However the govt. will pay about 30% I think which makes it more possible. Open loop systems typically don't last as long as closed loop. It depends also on how much your electricity and gas cost. What does your electricity cost total per KW? What about your gas? Do you plan on continuing to pay for monthly gas service?

I'm still waiting for a response from the Contractor, who has been sick the last few days, and I am still pushing for the HW Vision Pro IAQ Stat to be installed. Another question. I am thinking about going with the Air Handler with Heat Strips as the backup system to the Heatpump, instead of having the Gas Furnace. The main reasons for going with the Air Handler and Heat Strips is because the Effeciency ratings are actually higher for the Heatpumps with this configuration, and according to the Contractor the Air Handler and Heat Strips are less complex and should have fewer problems. My question is two fold. 1 - Do you agree with that statement and do you think going with the Air Handler and Heat Strips over the Gas Furnace is a good idea? 2 - Any feedback on what we can expect for the Heat that the Heat Strips put out, vs what we would have with the Gas Furnace? My wife is not thrilled with the so called "Heat" from our existing Heatpump, but that should be better with these new Heatpumps. But she Loves the Warmth of the Gas Furnace when that kicks in, and she wants to make sure that we aren't giving that up by going with Heat Strips vs the Gas Furnace. So any additional advice and input would be greatly appreciated since we have no experience with Air Handlers and Heat Strips as a backup heat source. Thanks!

Yes, the increased square footage is due to the addition of the basement, which is only partially finished. Thus, only some of the additional area is conditioned. The basement floor is a slab six feet below grade. Uninsulated block walls for the unheated area, block walls with wood framing, R-11 and carpeting for the finished portion. Uninsulated partition wall between the two spaces. Single pane, metal framed windows from 1968 all around. See attachment for basement floor plan. Contractor 1 states that basement trunks are oversized and require five ton blower for proper cooling.This is the smallest unit he could find that provided a five ton blower. He choose a two stage unit to best match needed load using first stage. As stated in my original posting, cooling to second floor has always been poor. Current equipment supports up to four ton cooling, I believe. I cannot comment on Contractor 2, as I have yet to speak with him. Furnace is located in the basement. My father hates making exterior penetrations, and will not permit the running of the PVC pipe required for the higher efficiency units. It's just the way he is. We need to stay with the current flue to chimney routing. Plus, from his perspective, he likely will not live long enough to recoup the higher cost of more efficient equipment.