Tigerdunes, I am in the York, Pennsylvania area. The property is insultated very well. I recently insulated the ceiling, floors with Fiberglass insulation, and the walls with 2 1/2 inch Lowes Insulation Board.

We also have a dual fuel HP in ATL (13 SEER + 80% NG furnace). If you're going to invest that kind of $$ in a new system, plus pay to operate it for the foreseeable future, I'd do everything I can to ensure I got a quality install. Below is a link to a Southface Energy Institute fact sheet on blower door and duct blaster tests. They're an ATL non-profit. I highly recommend the info they have on their site. They might even be able to help or point you in the direction of a contractor to design your system and/or test your house/ducts. Ideally, you'd have the blower door done to feed into the Manual J sizing of the system. Then, after your new ducts were installed and sealed (but before insulating), you'd have the latter done to test how tight the duct system is. A brand new system, installed right, ought to leak at about 0.05cfm/sq ft of living space. That's only 125 cfm for your house. If at all possible, you want to maximize the amount of rigid ductwork, only allowing flex duct at the runouts (I'd get at least the Vision Pro w/ an outdoor sensor to control the switch to Aux heat. My understanding is that the IAQ version will handle the staging possibilities better than the 8000 series VP. It also costs more. I'd also be interested in getting a HP w/ good low temperature performance. Our gas bills have gotten smaller since getting the VP set up to control the switch. But on an old house, you're still going to use gas for the days in the teens/twenties like we've seen this winter. Anyway, food for thought. We have used ACS to do work on our system. They sell Carrier equipment. Here is a link that might be useful: Southface on blower doors and duct blaster testing

1.I would want to see a load calculation in writing for each zone. I question the sizing especially on the furnaces. 2. Keep in mind basements at or even partially below grade have a very low heating and cooling load 3.assuming you have no installation issues with outside venting, I would get a price on Carrier's 58MVC high eff furnace for the main floor/basement zone. 4.as far as heat pumps, you would need an analysis of your electric and at gas rates. 5. If you have humidity issues in the basement, you need to address the issue of why before trying to solve with dehumidifiers. 6. Dealer should address your temperature issue with the master bedroom with insulation check and ductwork size check. I will assume room is the opposite in the winter heating season. Windows are high quality? 7. I always prefer new and correctly sized refrigerant linesets. IMO

I just bought a 2 story home (2700-2800 sq ft) and I am looking at replacing 2 outside condenser units and only one of the gas furnaces. Does anyone have any opinions on the Amana one stage versus two stage systems ? I've talked to reputable companies and one of the most reputable was pushing the Amana product. Also, I researched the Nest thermostats a little bit and I found out they only come with a 2 year warranty. I think it is 5 years if a nest certified pro installs it. I was given the option of a high-end honeywell thermostat with wi-fi capability that had a lifetime warranty. It seems like a no brainer but thoughts ? Is the Nest worth the $250 per unit investment? The only difference I have found is that it claims to learn your habits. Appreciate it!