It would be helpful if you posted the model numbers of the equipment in your quotes. You can also post the prices if you want comments but be aware prices vary by location. Is the basement 900 sq. feet? If yes then a 2 ton unit seems is very over sized.It does not take much to cool a basement if it mostly underground. My suggestion would not to spend money on a 2-stage unit and buy a dehumidifier. You could be the $300 big box store 70 pint type, but in your case you may want to spend the money on a better unit such as a Santa Fe brand. It is three times the prices but will last a long time and dry out your basement.

We are in the process of replacing a 1 year old...Yes,1 year old 4 ton ($12,400put in Aug.20,2011) air conditioner:TraneXL16i seer:16.5 furnace:TraneXV95 load calculation was done by 5 out of the 6 companies stating we needed a 4 ton unit. We just had a company come out and they said we are oversized by 1 ton and that was the reason for our whole problem?? We have what they call 'dirty sock' syndrome which started 2 weeks after it was installed!! 4 coil changes later still an issue. When we ran it in emergency heat over the winter,without a coil,no smell!!! With Tranes non responsiveness to all I would never get a Trane again!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I've read about all the problems with all units and am more confused then ever,but I do know that I will not get a heatpump again!!! Our original Lennox furnace(19yrsold)began getting stuck/freezing(not turning on) no smell issues whatsoever. Since we had just finished with our D.I.Y renovation of our home we decided to get a new unit,more energy efficient since it was the last thing that was needed to complete our home! I cannot believe how each and every contractor differs on their load calcs...you would think there would be some sort of protocol/procedure to do this accurately and come up with the same numbers?? More confused then ever~smile~Afraid to get that horrendous smell back in my house with another 'coil'...and Yes, we had one dipped and the procedure was done incorrectly , even the contractor said the chemical smell was making him ill...it was in the house for 1 hour and he had to take it out immediately after closing up the unit(took him an hour to install it). We had to air out the house mid winter and sit outside...stress to say the least....Any comments advice would be appreciated~smile~ I too live in W.N.C.

the lennox dealer corrected their quote as follows; 2 ton Lennox Elite Series heat pump system incliding outdoor unit model XP14-024-230 rated 15 seer, 13 eer & 9 HSPF W/A410A refridgerant. Air handler model #CBX27UH-024-230. System is equipped with 10 KW back up heat. Install a new drain pan & moisture switch. Will remove all old equipment via crane taking out existing electostatic filter and replace with new filter grilles in the existing returns which will be easier to replace on a monthly basis. Cost is now $5,975 before rebate from BGE of $400 & Feds. $1500 which also apllies to the Carrier units except Carrier has rebate of $175 for the first quote & $400 for the second if still applicable. The Carrier system comes with a 10 year warranty on all parts 1 year labor with a option to upgrade to 10 years labor for and additional $975 Lennox comes with 10 yrs compressor & 5 yrs other parts 2 yrs workmanship & matrials 1 yr free service. Which one is the better system for the money. Carrier is about $500 more if their rebate is still in effect. I didn't address the other Lennox quote because of the the higher cost.

Hi, Thanks very much for your responses. - Everyone I've spoken with, and you've confirmed, that one zone per floor makes sense. If I'm missing anything else about "zones", please let me know! - How much should it cost to go from 2 zones to 4? - We are definitely going to put in all new ductwork. Is there anything here that I should be aware about or ask for? Any sites (besides GW) to get more knowledge on this area so I can ensure we get the ducts sized properly? - Good comments on getting more info on the geo wells, piping, etc. Will do. - Can I get a Manual J done even if the house is under construction? Framing is almost done, but the exterior work is not complete, and so it's open to the elements right now. - Yes, we have a natural gas furnace and electric AC in the house. It appears that a NG furnace was installed in 2007. The unit is a Lennox Signature Collection, model CX34-62D-6F. We also have an electric hot water heater, AO Smith ProMax Plus, model FCG 75 300. Does it make sense to re-use these or upgrade? Obviously, the furnace will be out if we go with geo. - Here's a summary of our NG and electricity rates. I hope I'm doing this correctly -- taking the bill amount and dividing by the energy used. Some months may need to be taken out because the numbers are too high/low. Please note that we have not lived in the house, so this is what we were paying for several months before construction commenced. So I would expect actual usage, and thus our bills, to be higher, but I guess that the cost per unit would be somewhat proportional. Natural Gas Monthly Charge / Therms Used / All-In Cost Per Therm $18.06 / 5.1 / $3.54 $16.76 / 5.1 / $3.29 $51.90 / 32.5 / $1.60 $78.53 / 57.7 / $1.36 $339.62 / 314.7 / $1.08 $362.71 / 321.1 / $1.13 $184.41 / 154.8 / $1.19 $81.98 / 60.4 / $1.36 $66.62 / 47.4 / $1.41 $18.45 / 7.1 / $2.60 $16.18 / 5.1 / $3.17 $1.97 average Electricity Monthly Charge / KWH Used / All-In Cost Per KWH $285.18 / 1757 / $0.16 $137.36 / 786 / $0.17 $77.44 / 416 / $0.19 $57.91 / 316 / $0.18 $66.29 / 382 / $0.17 $86.87 / 524 / $0.17 $61.02 / 341 / $0.18 $24.50 / 76 / $0.32 $25.22 / 80 / $0.32 $38.34 / 73 / $0.53 $21.23 / 53 / $0.40 $32.62 / 140 / $0.23 $0.25 average - It must not be code on my state (MD) to have each floor zoned. Our bids have been for two zones (on per system, one system covering basement and first floor, second system covering second and third floors), or for four zones (running off two systems). - Thanks for the heads up on the tax credits. My husband is tracking these, so I'll make sure he knows this. - The addition is on a loggia, not crawl space. So the basement is a walk-out basement, and the loggia will in effect extend the basement, and then the kitchen/family room addition will be above this, and our master bedroom addition above that. It's at the back of the house. Here's an early photo so you get the idea. The house is brick, and the addition will be part brick, part clapboard. - I am trying to learn what an HRV is, so am looking into this. - If it's not a good idea to go with spray foam insulation, let me know! Thanks for the info on what type would be good. - More thoughts on what system to go with, pricing, etc.?? THANKS AGAIN!!