well, i have a little cooler climate than you and i went with a HP. why put in gas when you will probably never even need it.

when i had my man j done, they measured all rooms, windows and doors. they looked at the ducts and attic insulation. they came up with me needing 3 tons(36k BTU), but we upped it to 3.5 ton(42kBTU) for the extremely hot summer months we have.

call in 2-3 others to run Man j and give their recommendations, then post your options here.

I agree with Mr Salesman that a heat pump is the way to go. I'm not even sure why you have gas heat in Florida. Electric back-up strips can be used in the air handler, or you can have a gas furnace in the air handler as supplimental heat. Below 32 degrees F outside air, a house loses heat faster than the heat pump can supply it, so supplimental heat is needed.

What are your electric costs ($ per kw-hr).

The 2TTX5042 condenser with 2TEE3F40 is a matched set rated at 42,500 btu-hr, 12.8 EER, and 15 SEER. These are fantastic numbers. Your true cost of operation is determined by EER and not SEER, much to the surprise of many people. EER is rated at 95 degrees outside air temps while SEER is rated at only 82 degrees outside air temps. That air handler does have a variable speed blower.

The 2TTX5042 condenser with a 2TXCC049 air handler and UD080R9V furnace is also a matched set rated at 40,500 btu-hour, 15.25 SEER, and 12.8 EER. Not sure if the blower is variable speed. You may be able to check Trane's website for that info - search on the furnace model#.

There are no HSPF ratings since the above systems are not heat pumps.

For your piece of mind, you should consider a PARTS AND LABOR warranty. The manufacturer's warranty is parts-only, no labor.

You can search www.energystar.gov to find the rebate requirements. You'll have to step up to the XL16i with the right air handler to get the required SEER/EER/HSPF. All 3 must be met to get the rebate. The 16i uses a 2-stage compressor. Typically these systems are much more $$ to purchase than single stage compressors.

The VisionPro is loved by the pros. The VisionPro IAQ is even more advanced. You can check them out on Honeywell's website.

You ask solid questions. An HVAC-educated homeowner (myself included) helps to insure a good purchase, a good install, and a happy ending.

Best to you.

Here is a link that might be useful: ARI Directory

Definitely get the Manual J in 'writing'. It needs to state heat loss and heat gain at your design temperature. Also, as you said, you need it to specify sensible & latent values.

You'll be lucky to get one (in print), let alone several.

I've interviewed 4 contractors; one flatly refused, 1 said he would, then sent a quote w/o documentation. The sizes he quoted showed me he was just guessing. Two others were asked up front if they do this--both said yes, both came out, did their 'measuring', and later bailed out after some tough questions on my part. The last guy threw a 'rule of thumb' at me while he was measuring.

Good luck--I'm still looking.

V

Thanks for the information so far. Very informative.

I'm going to have them write their Manual J calculation totals on the contract for sure.

So far the equipment seems to be good, and matched properly. That is reassuring.

Now for pricing -- and I now this can vary wildly -- I need a sort of sanity check:

For the heat pump, which from garyg I know to be:
condenser with 2TEE3F40 is a matched set rated at 42,500 btu-hr, 12.8 EER, and 15 SEER

They are charging $7580
There is a $250 rebate from the local electric company
There is a $400 rebate from Trane
They said they want to use the existing lines but if the copper line leaks and needs to be replaced it will be an additional $300.

So is this pricing reasonable?

That condenser is straight a/c and not a heat pump. Need model# for heat pump condenser.

$7580 is for 1 or 2 systems? Gas or electric strip back-up?

Sorry Gary I seemed to have mistyped the condenser model number. It is 2TWX5042.

The quote , 7580, is for the heat pump solution. After the 250 teco rebate and $400 rebate from Trane the final cost is 6930. An electric strip back-up is included in the price. They want to use the existing lines going from the condenser to the air handler. I'm having them write on the contract that the lines will be tested and validated before used.

2TWX5042 heat pump condenser paired with 2TEE3F40 air handler is an XL15i rated at 40,000 btu-hr, 15.35 SEER, 12.6 EER, and 8.9 HSPF. Those are great numbers (won't get the Federal Tax Rebate, but who cares?). You'll probably seldom use the electric back-up but it is good to have anyway.

At first I thought this was a 410A system, but I think the first "2" means R22.

Have you looked at the XL14i, maybe saves you a few $$ upfront?

Parts and labor warranty?

The XL14i was slightly cheaper, but it doesn't have the $400 Trane rebate, so when all was considered I might as well get the XL15i.

This price is 2 year labor + 10 year parts warranty. For $599 I can upgrade to 10 year parts+labor. At this point in time I think it would be wise to do so.

Does the price seem reasonable enough? I compared it to a dealer in TX that does post their prices (www.buytrane.com -- not sure if URLs are blocked so it is buytrane d0t com) which includes installation parts and albor and this price is about $500 less than them. The only factor I don't know is if this price is good for my region -- Texas doesn't really apply here :)