We already have a 2 speed 18seer unit and it works VERY well. Variable speed blowers were not yet mainstream when the unit was purchased. The furnace blower has 5 different speeds, 3 of which are used. 2 for the 2 stages of cooling, and a lower one for the furnace. I realize a bit of efficiency is lost over a variable speed blower but without an inverter driven variable speed compressor, there is not much advantage to the variable speed blower. They use fixed speed setpoints anyway for the two speed condensers. My question was with regard to configuring the system as a hybrid heat pump with gas furnace instead of straigh AC with gas furnace. Can anyone answer this? Most hybrid systems place the cooling coil upstream of the furnace heat exchanger so that both heat sources can be used at the same time, in my arrangement, it would have to be either gas or hp, never both. Is it worth the $200 difference in cost or is there something else I am overlooking?

You need to get a good contractor to install whatever brand you choose. This is the most important. Next a less expensive model is that. It has less expensive parts and is built differently, doesn't matter the brand the low end models of any brand in my opinion is not worth it unless it is going to be a rental or quick turnover home. A good choice would be to get a central air conditioning model from any brand that fits the Tax Credit Guidelines. $1500 in Tax Credit is something to look at when dealing with the over cost and over all monthly savings in utilities an Air Conditioning system will save you. These models normally have better parts and are better built. Next look at Warranty, next see if the manufacture and the contractor offer an extended labor warranty together as one. Not an outside source insurance warranty but from the manufacture and Contractor. My preference and it is only my opinion but like I said before the contractor is the most important part. 2nd the models that are not RNC labled - RNC = Residential New Construction / used in low bid new construction house developments Manufactures I like are Bryant, Carrier, Trane, American Standard, Lennox

The independent HVAC company that deals mainly with American Standard equipment is telling me this (will send quote via e-mail later this week): 1. Need 3.5 ton unit because new refrigerant 410A is not as cold as R-22. Also, insulation in older homes in Southern California is not good, so need stronger ac unit. 2. He says that he doesn't need to do a Manual J. His 25 years of experience says to stay with 3.5 ton unit. Also, recommends replacing evap coils and furnace. 3. Noticed that existing furnace is upright/standing rather than laying flat. He's the 2nd guy to shake his head at the way it's installed. He says it's not efficient to put a furnace upright and the evap coils on the side of the upgright furnace. 4. He doesn't work with rebates, so he doesn't want to bring outside company to test energy efficiency prior and after install. He says the extra money you spend on trying to qualify for a rebate is a waste and not worth in the long run. I told him that the Costco affiliated company will do rebates and will test. He says California is going broke and probably no money for rebates. He also said that I need a 90% efficient furnace to qualify for rebates. 5. Asked if I wanted to get the permits myself. Kept saying that city is likely to ask me to move outside condenser due to its closeness to new pool. I told him I got permits 4 years ago for pool and pool equipment and city approved the location of pool and pool equipment and a/c unit was there already. 6. Says to use existing ducts and vents/registers. Will probably use same lineset since it will outlast my lifetime. 7. This guy is the actual installer. Company is so busy, they couldn't send me the salesperson. He came from finishing an install at another house. ----------------------------------------- Costco affiliated HVAC company (www.airtro.com) will also send me quote via e-mail tonight or tomorrow. Sent the salesman who says he'll be the supervisor for the job at the start. 1. Says that I can go with 3 ton a/c unit with new evap coils. Keep lineset. Says that double-pane windows help. Says Fraser-Johnson was low end unit. Says Lennox is much better. 2. Says furnace should not be upright in attic and says it's a bad installation. Recommends new furnace. 3. Permits will cost about $200 to pull. 4. Will bring a company to test ducts/energy efficiency to qualify for best possible rebate amount(probably $1500). Can't promise, but says that's his company has not been denied a rebate yet. They will do all the paperwork. 5. Recommends new ducts and a new vent/register in kitchen. Recommends dampers in ducts to evenly distribute air. Says some existing ducts are the rigid ones and might have moved/shifted over time, so he's certain that I'm losing 30% of air. $2000 to do all new ducts. 6. Problem is he only offers Lennox Merit equipment for $7000, $2000 for ducts, $200 for permits. I'm expecting a detailed quote. He says equipment is the best in the industry. 1-year labor warranty and the standard 5-year equipment warranty on the a/c unit from Lennox. I can upgrade to Lennox Elite for $2000 more, but it's a 2-stage system that I don't want. Did not recommend anything outside of the Costco price list. 7. Showed me awards from Angie's list and local newspaper, BBB certificate, insurance coverage, etc. True salesperson. My overall impression is that the American Standard independent installer seemed to say that he's been doing this for xx years and he knows what's best for me. Don't need rebates and don't need permits. That's what it felt like, but I told him I want permits. I told him I want all American Standard equipment like the Gold SI compressor, matching coils to maximize SEER, and a compatible AS furnace at 80% efficiency. The Costco affiliated company wants to charge me for a full-system (cut-in) which includes new ducts, new registers, new equipment, etc. I think that he wants to put a new register in the kitchen to justify the $2000 duct charge on the price list. I felt that this salesperson was recommending the package rather than my needs. He did have a checklist of items to go over, so it felt like we had a more complete conversation minus a technical discussion on how to ensure that all the Lennox components fit my needs and achieve the best possible SEER. I think that after reading so many posts here and getting so much advice, I was expecting more. I suppose that I'll find out more when I get the quotes via e-mail and see how detailed they are. Also, I'll see how they respond once i start making changes to the equipment based on opinions from this board.

The rebates and conservation programs are almost always mandated by the governing public utility oversight boards, not originated by the power companies. The power companies would prefer everyone heat with electric resistance heat and use incandescent bulbs, the more the better. Nothing wrong with that, it's their business to sell power. However with cheap gas nationwide (other than in PG&E territory) and electricity prices that will only rise steeply (as coal and nukes are phased out and costs from building new renewable sources come in ), gas remains the best choice and the cheapest way to heat homes. In any area where natural gas is available, the cost comparison is a no-brainer. In the mild winters areas of most of the West, heating using hot water, in whatever form, is rare and hard to add as a retrofit. It has never caught on. What remains is ducted forced-air gas furnaces. The ducts then serve for air conditioning. The term inertia refers to the tendency of a something's state to continue unchanged, whether that's the state of motion or the state of rest. Around here, the minisplit business has no perceivable movement and I don't see that changing.