Thank you for your response Tigerdunes. I will definitely check with the bidder on the third party evaporator coil. I specified matched systems having read your prior posts to others extensively, but didn't catch that this evaporator coil wasn't a matching Trane. Thanks. The boiler was sufficient in heating the entire 1200 square feet main floor living space with AND without all the radiators in place. I don't recall the size at the moment, but will check. The HVAC people were all pleased with its size when they looked at it. Because the house is without electric and water service as yet, we are not totally sure the boiler is still in working order. It was not fire damaged, but water from the fire fighters and heat from the fire might have caused some unknown problems, which was another reason to hedge the bet by adding a gas furnace. The second reason for considering a gas furnace, not just A/C is that a realtor who knows the house and its value, - which is considerable for a small house, given its location and craftsman, cedar shingled cottage charm - suggests that some buyers don't like radiator systems, and feels the addition of an alternate heat system and the addition of A/C will be worth it, which is another reason I got the bid for it. The third reason for considering a gas furnace is code compliance, and the cost to do so. The cost of adding hydronic units to the sunroom, pantry, dining room and bath areas to meet code are unnecessary if I install the gas furnace. Anyone wanting to use the radiator system only for heat would have to add these units, or live without them as I did, but code is met with the addition of a furnace. No furnace, and I have to add radiators in the areas mentioned above and detailed below. I agree that a heat pump would be the way to go if we knew for sure that the radiator system was going to be the primary source of heat as it was when I lived in the house. New owners might opt for a forced air system. My question on this is, can a gas furnace be added into the system as cost effectively later as it can be added now with the A/C going in. The new heating system, if installed, l would heat/coo the 1200 sq ft main floor with its 9 ft ceilings, with two registers in the open 950 sq ft unfinished basement. The basement stays cool in summer and warm in winter without additional heating and cooling. The attic space, if developed later, will be heated and cooled with an in-wall, Mitsubishi type system. Trying to run ducts and vents is a problem, which is why we don't have the new proposed system sited in the attic. It would make the attic fairly unusable in a future development as a master suite and sitting room. The ducting layout using the in the basement location has worked well, and the location of cold air returns well placed and spaced. So the attic will not be heated or cooled with this system. In the past, with the boiler, the heat loss from the main floor was enough to keep the attic above freezing, but does not warm it significantly. The attic has 4 large double window sets, 3 large Velux skylights and a 4.0 french door set, and the roof is black, so it stays warm enough on sunny days, and is well ventilated in summer.. The attic floor will be re-insulated at this time, but not the walls or ceiling. The new insulation in the attic floor will be far better than the old, and as I said, the new windows throughout, from basement to attic are a vast improvement in energy efficiency over what the boiler used to have to handle. The 950 sq ft basement is unheated at present, though I believe two registers will be added to this space with the new furnace The basement stays comfortable in winter when the boiler is in operation simply from the hot water pipes to the radiators and hot water heater and warmth of the up stairs. It is is open space, unfinished and only used for laundry and workshop space/tool storage. The dining room radiator was removed from under a south facing bump out window. That window was removed and replaced by an exterior double french door when a new deck was added at the time of the new boiler. The heat loss to this room was noticeable but not enough to be a problem for me, though it would be for others, and it is for code. Each room has to have a heat source, so I either have to put in a register or add a radiator. The bathroom is only 6x7 and is now warmed by the heat/fan which is not sufficient for code. I have a not yet installed hydronic towel bar that gives off 1500 BTU, enough to handle the bath and the small hall adjoining the dining room, bath, bedroom and parlor. If I do the gas furnace, this is unnecessary. At same time the new boiler was installed, a kitchen was installed in a 11x12 ft space that only had a sink and refrigerator with a radiator. An adjoining but separate 6x8 pantry at the south end of the kitchen had a stove and a cabinet. The pantry is also an access corridor to the basement stairs. So in installing a kitchen, I removed the radiator and replaced it with a toe kick radiator under the sink base the fully fitted kitchen. Base and upper cabinets were added to the pantry on the load bearing exterior wall that separated the pantry from the screen 8x8 screened back porch at the other half of the kitchen south wall. The fire that started at the electric service connection into the house was located on the east wall between the kitchen and screen porch, so this area and the attic above it were severely impacted by the fire. In rebuilding this area, the screen porch got a solid foundation, was mostly opened to the kitchen, and serves as a sunroom breakfast area. It is,fully windowed from ceiling to 36 inches above the floor with a door that opens to the deck. The load bearing wall separating the sunroom from the pantry still exists, but the pantry is now open to the kitchen rather than walled off with a doorway. The kitchen toe kick puts out 5,600 BTU and has to handle the kitchen sunroom and pantry area now. If I do not add a furnace, code will require me to heat the sunroom and pantry areas, which I would do with toe kick units under the pantry base cabinets - one venting into the sunroom through the wall and one venting into the pantry. If I add a furnace, this will not be required, we will simply use those areas for the forced air registers. If I do not add a furnace I will have to provide hydronic heat sources for both areas. So, to answer your question 4, the only addition to the heat load that the boiler has covered adequately (1200 sp ft) is the 8x8 fully weatherized and insulated sunroom. If I go with a gas furnace we will add the register(s) for the unfinished basement. I don't know if code requires the basement to be covered. I do know the non living space attic does not need to be covered. Sorry for all the detail, but I find that sooner or later the information is needed, so I am trying to give it all upfront.

ekeg first you need a load calculation for both heating and cooling. get it in writing. review it carefully. on the AmStd quote, you need the model numbers to determine the size the dealer is quoting for both furnace and AC condenser. i personally think a two stage AC for a townhouse is overkill and not necessary. 72 KBTUs sounds way too large. and big is not better. and if you have reasonable electric rates, you could consider dual fuel, furnace with heat pump condenser. IMO TD

The latest and last proposal. Trane 16 SEER, XL series, concrete slab base, disconnect box, new copper refrigerator line set and control wiring, rubber blocks under heat pump. Matching Trane air handler with TXV coil, GE ECM variable speed blower motor, electric heat package 10 kw, EZ drain trap with float switch and drain pipe, secondary drain pan with float switch, vibration dampening mounting. Honeywell Pro 5000 digital thermostat Seal joints with mastic, insulate attic ducts with R-8 foil faced duct wrap. New filter grill. Extend duct in basement (approximately 60 inches and register. 10 yr compressor, 5 year Trane parts, 2 year on other parts and labor. $11,814.00 Upgrades Honeywell Vision Pro wi-fi $299.00 Honeywell F100 5" pleated media cartridge $495.00 APCO UV germicidal lamp $895.00 15 SEER XR series $782.00 less

Thanks to all of you for your comments and the education it is providing me. HVAC is clearly an area where ideally I'd be able to "leave it to the professionals" and take the advice of a trusted professional. Unfortunately after working with a firm for 10 years (installations at two houses) they installed a heat pump incorrectly, and that did not meet my visibility or loudness requirements (other units were available but they did not offer them) - and they were unwilling to change the system or make other concessions after the installation. So this time I'm getting educated and aiming to be very clear in the requirements that I give to whichever contractor I pick. BTW, while I am focusing on the condenser I am replacing, we will also be moving the heat pump air handler near the condenser, both near those bedroom windows. With the issues Austin brought up about the 24VNA9 unit, the 24ANB6 (66 db) and 24APB6 (68db) are attractive. Any issues with using the Infinity 24ANB6 with a Performance 59TP6B 2 stage furnace and CNPVP coil? I "hear" your concerns about putting the condenser and air handler near bedrooms. The alternative (where they are now) is on the street side of the house and unattractive both from the street and looking out the sunroom window next to them. I will likely rig a test with my stereo and play "white noise" at 68 to 70 db where the units may be installed near bedrooms and see what it sounds like from inside the bedrooms. I also recognize a big issue is the turn-on noise, which I won't be able to simulate. I will plan on investing in a sound blanket both for the condenser and for the air handler. That seems like all I can do to minimize the noises. Again, thank you all for your inputs, Bob C