I live on one acre inside the city limits but ringed by trees. During the summer my neighbors would not just casually notice someone prowling around my house. I also have large windows easily accessible off of a patio and a back deck, they are almost floor to ceiling. I have a monitored security system. The doors are alarmed. I have motion and glass break sensors on both floors. With those, I don't need and didn't want all the windows alarmed. Remember you can't sleep with any of your windows open unless you disable the alarm for the zone that contains those windows. If your controller is downstairs and you are upstairs and want some air in the bedroom...down the stairs you go. This is a huge nuisance and just encourages you not to set the alarm when you are home. But you are more important than your stuff!! As a separate issue, I do not have a security sign out front nor any decals on the doors and windows. Most of my neighbors do. So I want to look like the house with nothing worth robbing. Because the system is monitored anyone getting in is going to be tagged immediately, maybe I have a busted window to replace but I am not going to lose a lot of personal property. As a separate separate issue I have the greatest discouragement of all which is two very noisy and very property defensive dogs. When i'm gone they stay home with a dog-sitter. However, you have to want/love the dog and get the security as a bonus. I would never suggest getting a dog for security purposes. Also, not all dogs are defensive or territorial barkers.

I used a Harman P68 pellet stove to heat my entire home last year. Its about 2,600 sq ft. It heated the main house and upstairs easily. The family room we added on is 46 feet from the stove and has 11' ceilings. When its cold we use the oil to warm it up at night then turn it off when we go to bed. I used very little oil. I still heat hot water with the boiler. We run are stove 24/7 with no problems. Its designed for that. The harman has a large ash pan and you can burn about a ton before you have to empty it. I would think you could heat your whole house with the stove depending on the layout. I used about 4.5 tons last year. I bought 5 tons this year at $219.00 a ton. I have to pay a delivery charge but don't have the bill yet. Probably end up being around $235 with delivery. My oil dealer said I use about 1,100 gallons a year. some is used for the hot water but not much i have found. I figure it costs me about $1,200 less a year to heat with the pellets pepending on the price of oil. I figure the stove will pay for its self in 2-3 years. There are other benefits. Not using foreign oil, non polluting, burns a waste product etc that I like. the heat is very comfortable and does not seem to dry out the house like a wood stove. I wish the pellets were around 200 a ton but demand has increased them. Hopefully they won't go higher.

You haven't been quoted a bad system, and all these components are compatible. It isn't a top of the line system, however, and with that in mind the price does seem a bit steep. Perhaps you're just dealing with one of the better, more expensive companies in your area. At least it does not appear that they "oversized" the system which will lead to problems down the road. That furnace should qualify for the $1500 tax credit, which I'm sure you've been told about. It may be worth looking into the XV95 furnace, which has a variable speed motor and has a 2-stage gas valve (high and low heat). The variable speed motor can be configured to help control humidity in the summer. The 13 SEER a/c is fine since you don't live in a climate where it stays warm for a large part of the year, although I'm not sure what your electric rates are like. If you go with the XV95 furnace then the XR15 is a nice upgrade on the a/c side for both efficiency and noise reduction (though neither unit would be considered loud by most people). The TCONT802 is a nicer thermostat that you might try to get them to include at no additional cost. To summarize, the system you were quoted is fine, but in terms of efficiency and features, the XV95 and XR15 are worth looking into. Problem becomes - will the added upfront cost pay for itself down the road. Such is the case for the media filter - it provides better filtration and you only have to change it once or twice a year, but you're spending more upfront.

Lots of folks can pipe in with the technical aspects, but while I don't know the numbers, I would not recommend going less than manufacturer specs. Depending how you cook, you may want even more. We do a lot of wok cooking, so went higher than the minimum rec for our 36 in bluestar. I found a ton of info on hood requirements and makeup air over on the appliance forum.