Guys, I have gotten stuck in between two systems for my final decision. Please help me out to pick the right one. I am trying to decide in between these two ; #1 - Bryant 6129135 Active Systems BRYANT HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE 13 PURON HP BRYANT HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS 286BNA048****B CNPV*4821AL*+UI 1300 1040 315(A,J)AV048090 45500 11.50 15.50 46000 8.20 29600 1 HRCU-A-CB 355 1140 also includes - Evolution touchscreen thermostat and comes with free Bryant Air purifier - one year test drive - I don't know how it works but they say they will provide 100% refund if I am not satisfied with the system within a year from the installation date #2 - Trane 5768796 Active Systems XR17 TRANE 4TWR7048A1 4TXCD063BC3 1370 1090 *UD2C080B9V4 48000 12.50 17.00 45500 9.00 30400 1 HRCU-A-CB 342 1077 Yes Not include thermostat. will use exiting HW VP IAQ includes GPS-2400 plasma air cleaner price wise the Trane is roughly $200 more expensive than the Bryant after the tax credit is deducted Both contractor will add two returns and one supply and will fix the distribution issues in my current duct work. Based on the notion I got; both contractors are very capable and have very good reputation I am more inclined to Bryant due to evolution controls. I do know Trane is very reliable and efficiency wise it is a little more efficient compared to the Bryant system. to me $200 difference in price is very negligible. I just want to make right decision. I got stuck! PLEASE HELP...

Thanks for your reply tigerdunes. Current A/C 2.5 ton up, 4.0 ton down, 10 SEER. Heat 36K up, 80K down. All options in my original post were from same dealer. He did also include quotes for XR13 & XR16 for up and down stairs. From comfort perspective, master bedroom is hard to cool in summer & that is whey he will be increasing size of supply lines in that room. Upstairs is also more difficult to keep cool that downstairs. Downstairs in general seems hard to keep consistently warm in winter months. I will try to reply to your questions. 1. Since the upstairs is rarely used, you are right in that I should consider a less expensive unit like the XR13, XR15, or XR16 and save the cash. 2. I like your idea of the single stage XT80 with high eff blower in either 40k or 60k size. I am also good with your recommendation of a single stage XR13, XR15, or XR16. Do you lean towards one of them in particular? Is the basic difference in the three just the cost for the higher SEER units? I have had quotes from 5 dealers. While all did a load calculation, none were willing to leave a copy. I guess they assumed I would use that information to shop with their competitors. All quoted 4 ton units downstairs, with the exception that one quoted 3.5 ton down. Three out of the 5 quoted 2 ton for upstairs, and the other two quoted 2.5 ton. They all quoted Honeywell 4" pleated filter media cabinets. None quoted the Trane Perfect Fit. 5. Furnaces will be located in attic. Since I am good with your recommendation of XT80 & either XR13, 15, or 16 upstairs, my understanding is that you recommend HW 8321 or Trane 803. You mention those two stats do not offer DOD. While I agree that feature is not that big a deal because of the use of that zone, what stat would I need to go with if I wanted to have DOD upstairs? On the 2-stage units I am considering for downstairs you mention HW Prestige 2.0 or better. What are the (better) unit and what more features does it offer. I checked the specs of the TCONT624 stat & it says: Upt to 4 stages heat/2 stages cool. It also states it has built in humidity sensor. Says dehumidification (overcooling), but I don't know if if that is the same as "dehumidify on demand". All dealers that provided quotes planned to reuse existing line set, so I assume they confirmed they are the correct size. I like the idea of consistent temps the XV18 offers, but as you mentioned I will likely veer away from that due to the little amount of history on it. That being said, since I will likely go with XR13, XR15, or XR16 upstairs, I will probably go with XR17 downstairs unless there is some real value in opting for the XL18i (I know it has 12 year warranty on compressor). I have duly noted your comments about American Standard. Once I nail down exactly what I want, with the help of your comments, I will seek quotes on similar equipment from AS. On the downstairs unit unit, are there pros and cons in going with a high efficiency coil? I assume no need on the upstairs unit?? One more question. I understand the extended warranties are now offered through a 3rd party versus directly from train. I was strongly considering purchasing the ext warranty but now I am less certain. Any thoughts on that? Thanks again for your time and professional opinion.

I have zero experience with heat pumps but do have 34 years of experience with having two HVAC systems. My house is far smaller than yours - about 2800 sq ft on two levels plus an unfinished basement. The house was built in 1948. It's a 1 1 /2 story house that only had 1/2 the 2nd floor finished when we bought it, and they rarely used that bedroom at all. We added a full dormer across the back of the 2nd floor, making two BR's and two ensuite baths. And we installed a separate HVAC system for this area. We like to sleep in a cool/cold room but don't want to freeze on the 1st floor. Right now, the outside temp is 39°. My upstairs furnace is turned to "off" as I see no reason to heat it with no one up there, and then to have to open a window to get it cold enough for sleeping when I go to bed tonight. it will be in the mid-50's when I go up at around midnight. I like it like that and am very cozy! But this weekend, the temp is to drop into the teens so I will turn it on when I get up and have it set at 62°. In the daytime, my 1st floor HVAC is set to 71° in the winter, and 73° in the summer (upstairs AC is set to 65° in summer and runs constantly). It is cold in my basement - only one ceiling vent - so when I'm down here doing my breathing treatments or laundry and am on my computer (desktop is down here), I use a space heater. Having two systems has worked very well for me. I have them checked/serviced twice yearly. I cannot imagine that a basement HVAC system could ever get my 2nd floor as cold as I prefer for sleeping. It gives me a lot of flexibility.

We understand that NVR Dan Ryan Homes, probably not the best builder. These posts serve very little purpose. As far as sizing: Our 3600 sq ft house in Indiana served fine by 3.5T AC with 4T coil 110K BTU furnace, my neighbour chose to upgrade his house 3200 sq ft to 3.5T and the system is not working properly. Cools down pretty fast without removing moisture. My planned 4,000 sq ft engineered ( by us ) has total demand load 2.5T (2800BTUH), but because of Manual S and the heating load 68k matching equipment from AHRI directory may have to go 3.5 or even 4T. furnace will need to deliver 72k heat, but to deliver this BTUH it has to have higher CFM rating on the blower. while you can have a different CFMs on cooling and heating... The ductwork design does not work well when cooling CFMs are 980s and heating CFMs 1490s. So Manual S calls for higher rated AC or ASH unit. Without knowing locations and the load, I think calling NVR Dan Ryan Homes HVAC Sizing SCAM is a little harsh. The ZoneX system does not compensate for load, it probably balances upper and lower floors temperature. Without it there would a significant temperature difference between floors. NVRs issue in my opinion is not with sizing, rather not so good exterior details that leak air.