To me, it sounds like a too-good price. We replaced our heatpump & air handler eight years ago with matching Lennox pieces. They also put in all new ductwork made of some sort of fiberboard product. In 2004, that cost us eight grand. Our rancher is roughly a thousand squft, all one level. Maybe your guy is hard up for work? Maybe late model units? The refrigerant was a concern when we did ours. Our guy priced us out on two different models using different refrigerants. One was the 'old' one that would be harder and harder to get and one was the 'new' refrigerant. We went with the new one even though it was more money because the 'old' refrigerant would cost us more in the end and not last as long even though the units were initially less expensive.

That was a GREAT price, and with the price of refridgerant going up to $600 per drum, i think my husband cahrges $25 per pound to make it fair, but you are right some charge $70-98 per pound I've seen. Some people think its great to go with big name companies and I am a firm believer that you get a better deal from a smaller company bc as I have said before, they want to please you so that you refer them to others and that you are a repeat customer. We have our own small business so I know how it goes! Glad you didn't get ripped off. I hate to see when people pay 6-8000 for a new unit etc etc.

Mike, we paid about $3000.00 last year for propane, and that was to heat half of our home. We could close off half of it, and that's what we did. Propane cost varies widely, from almost two dollars a gallon to almost three dollars a gallon. electricity is about 9.2 cents a kwh. We have only had the bedroom and one other room cooled with a window air conditioner. We only had one real cooling month after the system was installed, and it cost $5.00 more than the month before when we were running the window a/c 24/7. Yes, we were on the downhill side of the cooling season, but we were also cooling the entire house. I really can't give you an accurate estimate of what the cooling costs will be. Our first heating month, we used about $52.00 additional electricity, and during the second month it was about $240.00 additional. I just went out and read the meter, and with 6 or 7 days until our next reading, we're on track to be the same or less than last month, so another $240.00 - $250.00 for the third heating month. We have our two coldest months ahead of us, but if I figure $350.00 each for them, then $250.00 for March, and even $250.00 for April, I'm at $1750.00 additional for electricity,(and I think that's overestimated) against $3000.00 for propane last year. And, keep in mind, that's heating the entire 3900 sq feet to a comfortable 70 degrees rather than about 2000 sq feet of it to a chilly 67-68 degrees. Well, I should clarify that it isn't all heated to 70 all the time, due to the zoning. We keep what used to be the cold half at 66 now unless we're using it, then we can quickly raise it to 70 as well. Anyway, based on my preliminary calculations, we will reduce our heating costs 40-50% keep our cooling costs about the same, and raise our comfort and enjoyment levels tenfold. Will the savings pay for the installation costs over and above a standard heat pump system? Probably, but it'll take a while. If I had it to do over, I wouldn't change a thing. Hopefully I can still say that a few years down the road.

Look at all the numbers. Trane pumps are light on heating, espcially when on an A coil for dual fuel. Also "16" model units may not hit 16 SEER in a lot of matches. Example: most of the matches for the 3 ton 16i show a heat output around 30,000 BTU. Hmmm, where did the other 1/2 ton go? SEER runs 14-15. It does better with TWE air handler though with the new 039 air handler, output again is around 30K. So look at www.ari.org and see output, SEER, EER and HSPF for the unit/coil combo you are choosing. Get away from the 2 stage outdoor unit. That really adds to the cost of the job. That unit on low is effectively about 80% of high, you won't notice a real big diff. Also the dehumidification capability of the 16i on low cool is poor. We just did a job using Nordyne (Tappan) equipment. Warranty blows away Trane's. 95% 2 stage variable speed furnace, 15 SEER R410a heat pump that qualifies for the tax credit so she's getting $500 off her taxes this year. Electronic air cleaner, UV bulb, chimney liner, Vision Pro IAQ, 10 year labor warranty on top of Tappan's 10 year parts and replacement pledge. Our price about what you are paying for the XL16i then take off the $500 tax credit. Oh and she got a new 50 gallon WH too. We also sell American-Standard but encourage people away from it just from the low heat output.