Trane is a good manufacturer, especially if your location is anywhere near salt air. However, today most units built are fairly similar. In the 4 ton size, Carrier has multiple unit matchups that would qualify, while Trane has few if any (for the tax credit). Best bet is to ask for recommendations from friends/family and focus on finding the best contractor first.

I had a Trane installed in June, we live on the coast south of Tampa. One of the reasons i chose Trane is that a service tech who worked for Carrier said he would get a Trane because of our coastal climate.

You can get a 3.5 ton xr 14 , heat pump that is 15 seer rated and you will get the 1500 rebate. You may only need a 3.5 , I have 1832 sq ft, you may want to get a load calc done.

If your neighbors were happy with the install and that dealer handles Trane, go for it. I would also get a bid from another Trane dealer just to compare. I saved over 800 on the exact same model from the 2nd Trane dealer. If you would like more info please advise.

Ryan, I know Trane has a good rep. I am dubious about the size of the ductwork from the builder. I read on the AHRI (Air conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute) page that ductwork should be inspected re correct size for the proper tonnage of air. Sometimes you can't trust a builder for installing the correct anything. I will look into Carrier if you suggest that it has more choices than Trane re credits and rebates; however, golfer suggests Trane due to humidity conditions. I intend to get 3 proposals. Looked on Angie's List and Service Magic sites. The Angie's List depends on reviews of actual customer and Service Magic, I believe, depends on vendors' signing up. Thanks for your valued suggestions and advice.

Ryan and golfer: I have the names of 4 A/C contractors who operate in my area, which I'll start calling towards the end of the week. Will keep you posted on what I find out from them. It should be interesting. Thanks.

First job of yours is to decide whether you feel the existing unit operated satisfactorily, cooling/dehumidification. That will drive the decision on TONS.

Good point, srercrcr. As I think about it, my husband and I ARE satisfied with the cooling/dehumidification. It is a 4 ton, builder-supplied. When we had the house constructed, the builder stated a SEER above 11 wasn't necessary. We had thought about increasing it, but took the advice of builder and stayed with the recommended 11. At this point, we intend to increase it to 14 or 15, whichever would give us the best credit, rebate, and enough efficiency to lower our FPL bill significantly, etc.

Do we have to replace a Trane with a Trane, or does it matter? Thanks.

The minimum for the federal tax credit for an HVAC system is 16 SEER and 13 EER. This is tough to meet with a 4 ton system. Ask the contractors to do a calculation to determine if a 4 ton system is necessary.

If you go with a heat pump, then the minimums are 15 SEER and 12.5 EER. A gas furnce minimum if 95%. These numbers are easier to achieve. What do you use for heating now?

The July issue of Consumer Reports has a good article on brand reliability for heat pumps and ac. The top brands are Trane, Am Standard sister co.of Trane; Rheem same as Ruud; Carrier/Bryant. I went with Trane. I got a good price and they made duct work changes other dealers didn't even recommend, but I had bids from these brands as well.

Your system is sized almost correctly. Actually could go up 1/2 a ton. To 4.5 ton. Here is how you figure. Take your sq. ft. and divide it by 40 which will give you 4.9. Therfore, you have the choice of going to either a 4.5 or 5 ton. The size of your furn. (according to btu.) would be 1922x40=72,880 btu's imput. So you have the choice of going with either a 70 or 75,000 btu furn.

Crob, few problems with what you're saying. No manufacturer that I know of makes a 4.5 ton unit. A 5 ton unit would be needed following that (inaccurate and outdated) rule of thumb. The true way of calculating heat gain and heat loss is through a professionally done heat load/heat loss calc. Anything bigger than what she has now would require ductwork modifications 99.9% of the time. So bigger is not better, especially when based on incorrect calculations and when the original 4 ton kept the house comfortable.

Since you are replacing the unit, it would be a good time to add a heat recovery unit to the condenser. Here in Florida, we use A/C so much it's a no-brainer to spend the extra for it. It provides free hot water and lets you use a 13 SEER unit and operate in the 15 SEER range (but you'd lose the tax credit). Heat recovery for water heating is so much better than solar as it provides hot water when it's used the most...evenings and mornings when solar can't heat the make-up water and the back-up heater has to come on lessing the solar savings. My experience here in cent Fl is a $50 savings a month using a heat recovery unit.

We went with a national franchise company, and the franchisee here near where we live gave a wonderful presentation. The machine we decided on is the Frigidaire iQ. It is fully eco-friendly, has a rotary inverter in the compressor, is a 22 SEER. Comes with a special programmable thermostat with bells and whistles, better quality UV lite (bulb replacement every 2 yrs instead of the usual 12 months), controls the indoor temp with sliding Hz instead of 2 stage, etc. There's also a mfr's rebate of $1000, plus $1510 FPL rebate, and of course the tax credit. Price before tax credit is: approx. $5200. I was very impressed with this guy's knowledge after we had others coming into the house. The SEER is much more than we originally thought we should get, but when faced with a much larger energy saving by doing this as well as the higher FPL rebate (the energy saving was the greater incentive), we went for it. A neighbor went with a Trane 14 SEER (can't understand that - it doesn't qualify for tax credit), and already has had 3 service calls for the great condensation buildup!! I took into consideration the foregoing about Trane not being able to handle the great heat and humidity we have here in So. Fla. Thanks to all for your input. I will update after installation which should take place on Oct. 12th.

"Trane not being able to handle the great heat and humidity we have here in So. Fla."

That statement is completely false by whomever made it (and your neighbor's issues are not due to the brand), but I'm glad you found a company you are happy with and hope the install goes well.

Hello everyone. I am happy to report that the install went very well, and my house is very comfortable. The IQ technology is great. The machine is so very quiet, I don't know I have an A/C working to keep me and my husband so comfortable. Everything is computerized, and the temp and humidity controls are working well together. The thermostat tells me the indoor and outdoor temp and the indoor humidity (set for 40-45%). Air purifier, UV Lite are working as well, and we are looking forward to a much healthier home. Thanks for all your input and support.

glad to hear your system is running smooth.
the IQ line is an interesting system that I hope performs well over time. I have looked into the maytag line and on paper it is very impressive. If you haven't got an extended labor warranty I would suggest you get an extended labor warranty since parts are covered under warranty but the labor would not be. The S. Fl companies cut their prices so low on new equipment that it is scary.
Feel lucky you live in S. Fl because nowhere on earth can you buy A/C systems for the price they sell down there.

Please provide some advice. New home 2,067 square heat, ceiling height is 9 feet in most areas, 10 in a couple of rooms and 12 in the great room. Bonus room is totally encapsulated and adds another 350 square feet. Heat pump inside unit will be in the attic; one unit here can do entire house including bonus. Bonus will be zoned separate. Want either a four ton or five ton carrier or trane heat pump preferably 15 seer. Do you think it should be 4 or 5 ton if zoned? House will be well insulated and is sided with hardiplank. Thanks for input.

How do you figure a 4 or 5 ton unit if new construction and insulated well? I'm in Maryland, and 3.5 tons cools a 2500 sqft 2-story house + 700 sqft basement just fine (to 72 degrees with cycling under most cases). My house was built in 1986, and doesn't have the best insulation or windows.

So you need to start with a load calc since this is new construction. Putting in equipment and designing ductwork around an oversized system will cause you problems down the road. Higher electricity usage, less humidity control/comfort, shorter equipment lifespan.