Mike, thank you so much for your feedback and the rebate link. I will definitely ask about it. I have heard good things about the Carrier Infinity system, but can you tell me what is so special about the controller? I know it has some diagnostic capabilities, but is that the big difference? Tigerdunes, thanks for your input. I know the furnace model I posted isn't an Infinity; it was the first one he quoted me, but in talking later, he said the Infinity only cost $1 more in his price book, so we could upgrade to it if we wanted. I don't have the model number for it, but I'll ask next time I talk to him. Where are you recommending the R8? We are planning on R13 fiberglass batting for the roof rafter bays, because we are limited by the stud depth. We are planning to fur down with 2x2s to gain enough room for the fiberglass. We looked into spray foam, but it's out of our budget. I've always understood that the new hybrid units are a great choice in efficiency and energy savings, even in the South. We don't know how long we will be in this house (we love it, but we've never lived any place more than 4 years, so I have to look at history), so we weren't planning on lots of upgrades. But at this price, we can have it for not much more than the bare bones. I do see what you are saying about the upstairs system versus the downstairs. I will ask about the cost difference to do a 14 seer heat pump up there. Is there any other upgrade you think would be justified for the top story? Neohio, we have propane right now for hot water, range, and wall heaters. We were paying $2.49/gallon, but it will be going to $2.89 for the year starting next month. Natural gas would be $1.23 for the equivalent gallon (it's priced per cubic foot, but she gave me this number for comparison), with a $7-something monthly charge. We pay a base service fee of $22.11 per month for electric, plus $.088/per kilowatt based on usage. Because we don't currently have central heat and air, it's very hard to determine what our utilities will be and what system would be best. Our winters are mild, but we have been pretty cold in the farmhouse unless we close off interior rooms and run the 25,000 btu propane wall heater (serves the living and dining room), a large electric heater (for the kitchen), and a 10,000 btu propane heater for the bedroom. All the other rooms, upstairs and down, are unheated and cold! In the summer, we had three window units in about the same places (main living area, kitchen, and one downstairs bedroom), and could stay comfortable. But upstairs, with no AC and little insulation, was miserable!

I'm learning more all the time. Can you tell me more about the TXV metering device for the E-Coil? My current 80% unit already has a condensate drain pump used when I run the AC in the summer and I have not had a problem with it. This self contained pump sits on the floor next to the furnace and pumps the condensate into my sump pump then the sump pump pumps it out of the house. Wouldn't I just run the high efficiency furnace moisture drain pipe out to the same pump? I have to imagine that moisture drain pipe is up high on the High Efficiency unit and my condensate pump is on the floor, gravity will do the job unless the pump fails and the water backs up into the furnace. Is that the same moisture drain pipe that I have on my current 80% efficiency furnace that drains the condensate when I run the AC in the summer? One of the quotes I got from a HVAC hybrid install (95% efficient furnace w/ 2 stage variable speed furnace and 15 or 16 SEER Heat Pump) was to put a catch pan under the furnace with the furnace up on blocks and put a pump in the drain pan that pumps the condensate water into my sump pump. This gives you more time to deal with a pump going bad vs the self contained pump I have currently. I have another question about buying the new 95% efficient furnace. My current furnace is 80% effecient and is 100,000 BTUs. I have replacement choices of 90,000 BTU or 115,000 BTU replacement. My house is 2000 sq. ft, not including basement. Is there much efficiency difference between the 2 choices? I know the bigger unit will probably supply more heat, but is that at more cost in energy? Or is the difference nominal. My first thought is to go with the bigger unit for only $100-$200 more in cost. Mikes

Hi, I'm in the midwest and have a 5100 sq ft home. I'm looking at replacing my 17 yo furnaces, 2 Carrier Weathermaker high efficiency , with electronic filtering system , (eletroair SST), two air conditioning units, one blown and one 4 years old (got 10 years out of the blown one) with a similar set up to above. Recommended by the dealer is 1 American standard 16, 2ton communicating heat pump with a Am ST. Freedom 95 60K btu, 3 stage furnace and Acculink 900 comfort controller... AND 1 Heritage 16, 3 ton communicating heat pump with Freedom 95, 80K btu, 3 stage furnace, both with the AccuClear air cleaner system. We could keep the 4 yo air conditioner for a while, and put in the extra heat pump later. We could keep the current air cleaner (the kids, who sleep near it downstairs say it cracks and pops a bit). I'm looking at getting another quote, and from the looks of it above Carrier would be the place to get another quote and opinion. The American standard dealer made a big deal about the communication between the furnace and heat pump, calling this "geothermal above ground, at 1/3 of the price". We probably could get a couple more years out of our furnace, but has needed repair a couple of times, and were told it could become a problem, which we'd like to avoid in the middle of winter. We did consider geothermal and priced that out last year, and just felt the retrofit wasn't worth the bother. A contractor friend recommended that future high efficiency furnaces would make the geothermal unnecessary, at least for retrofitting. Any opinions out there?

Jackie and ordphien, thanks for your posts, I have found them most interesting and informative... and I apologise if anyone thinks I'm putting them on the spot here, but Jackie, if I may take your case in point, and I think you have illustrated to me just what I'm getting at, that when you say your location in particular is a great place to grow roses, and your garden is always superbly presented, but it seems with the proviso that you have to irrigate most of the year... ...I think I read that the Sacramento Cemetery garden irrigates once a week, and maybe this is why Descanso dug out their old roses... ...so the question should be, where are the best places in the States to live to grow roses...? where you've got to irrigate or else the whole place would dry up? or areas where you don't..? I think that's an important question in this day and age..