Writing in generalities, one approach is to provide MUA to the furnaces so they don't get back drafted from negative house pressure. In some cases this can be done by tailor made or factory made hardware directly to the furnaces. In other cases the furnace room would be sealed from having an air path to the kitchen. If possible, which depends on heating type, this would address the safety issue. The VAH flow rate then would be determined by how negative the house pressure got with whatever leakage the house and air conditioning has. A kitchen MUA could then be added if necessary to get good hood flow. You may want to condition this air. This is the bigger bucks part of the problem. Either furnace hot water has to be diverted to a heat exchanger in the air path (if the heating is hydronic), or electric resistance coils used in the airflow. Adding another furnace for the occasions of high vent flow is overkill because, unlike a restaurant, the periods of high flow would be a small part of a day. The kitchen MUA has another issue -- normally one wants to filter out critters and bugs and even dust from the air duct, and this causes a pressure drop. In such a case the MUA will not be making up as much air as desired unless a blower is added to the MUA path. Now there has to be a scheme for controlling the blower. However, if not conditioning or filtering the air is acceptable, then a large duct to a diffuser with a damper controlled by detecting hood air flow is a simple, low-cost solution. Broan makes a unit for this, or DIY using one of many Honeywell motor controlled dampers is an option. I suggest reading or at least skimming the literature linked at my "my clipings" page. In particular, Greenheck covers the topic well, albeit from a commercial point of view. But the commercial POV is the one that led to the Pro-style ranges and counterpart ventilation systems we are addressing with MUA. Last, while I think HVAC solutions other than another furnace are options, the more DIY one gets solving MUA the more one is trading one's time versus paying for a slightly more expensive turn-key system. But at the 10K price point, even with a hands-off goal, I would look for other bids/approaches including HVAC companies concentrating on restaurant HVAC systems. kas

You haven't been quoted a bad system, and all these components are compatible. It isn't a top of the line system, however, and with that in mind the price does seem a bit steep. Perhaps you're just dealing with one of the better, more expensive companies in your area. At least it does not appear that they "oversized" the system which will lead to problems down the road. That furnace should qualify for the $1500 tax credit, which I'm sure you've been told about. It may be worth looking into the XV95 furnace, which has a variable speed motor and has a 2-stage gas valve (high and low heat). The variable speed motor can be configured to help control humidity in the summer. The 13 SEER a/c is fine since you don't live in a climate where it stays warm for a large part of the year, although I'm not sure what your electric rates are like. If you go with the XV95 furnace then the XR15 is a nice upgrade on the a/c side for both efficiency and noise reduction (though neither unit would be considered loud by most people). The TCONT802 is a nicer thermostat that you might try to get them to include at no additional cost. To summarize, the system you were quoted is fine, but in terms of efficiency and features, the XV95 and XR15 are worth looking into. Problem becomes - will the added upfront cost pay for itself down the road. Such is the case for the media filter - it provides better filtration and you only have to change it once or twice a year, but you're spending more upfront.

dovetonsils, I could be off on my balance point estimate. Whether it is 35-40, or 20-25 (seems very low for a conventional heat pump), it is going to be dependent on a lot of variables. There are two balance points. One is the point where it is more economical to use the heat pump versus the back up heat system. If the back up is resistance heat, then I agree with you it is towards your range. If you are using propane, then it should be at the higher range. If the cost of propane goes up, then the balance point can be changed. I happen to think we are going through a long period of low natural gas and propane prices, but that is just my opinion. The other balance point is the temperature at which the heat loss of the house is greater than the heat provided by the heat pump. Usually that is higher than the economical cross over, but again it is highly dependent on the specific house and heat pump performance. It seems to me air handlers cost about the same as a furnaces assuming they have similar features. Even if the furnace is a little more expensive, the OP will come out ahead if the difference is less than the additional required electrical work. The furnace blower will be used every time the heat pump operates. The part that will be used less often is the gas valve and burner. Not much maintenance to be done. Every 2-3 years should be fine. It will also mean less wear and tear on the heat pump. The other nice thing about having the furnace is that if the heat pump fails, you can heat the house with no problem while you wait for service. It is no fun servicing a heat pump in the middle of a winter storm. I think the OP should get quotes for both options as part of the decision making process. Either option is viable and will work.

I think I understand what your inspector wants, but its not common to add insulation to the interior doors just because you finish a basement. However, most folks also do not put insulation in the basement ceiling if there is a plan to finish the basement later, since you then have insulation between two conditioned spaces. I'm not an HVAC guy, but it also looks like your heating system is a high efficiency unit that draws its combustion air from outside. The telltale sign is that it has two pipes (air in, exhaust out?), and the exhaust pipe is made of PVC, not metal. It may not even need any other air source (vented door, etc.), since it uses outside air for combustion. Its very typical to finish all of the basement except the utility room (leaving it with concrete walls), and still have a louvered door or vents connecting that room to the finished part of the basement. You lose some heat through the uninsulated concrete walls in the utility area, but its usually not that significant. Bruce