hi IMO, i believe the only model #s that were provided are the ones posted above. I will double check the estimate paperwork when I get home from work tonight. it sounds like the hybrid system would fit our needs and environment here in DC (other than this past winter, generally the temps do not get too cold for too long) what would be the advantages/disadvantages of upgrading to the 95% evolution? would it be a significant cost increase? since we just bought the house we are trying to be smart with our $. the $7k price range (before $1500 credit) we can do, but we probably would have to think about going higher. for reference, barring any life-altering events, we are planning to stay in the home long term.

Thank you, Mike - that makes sense. As tight as the budget is, I also don't want to spend money on a system that will still be substandard. I would prefer to pay a little more for a system that will really get the job done. I spoke with another company who will be coming out tomorrow. He talked about using a Carrier Infinity system, which will allow him to install without a barometric bypass, which is illegal in CA. Does that sound a bit more in line with what you would expect? I will ask him about leaving the furnace on the main floor and adding an air handler/condenser in the attic vs. moving the furnace upstairs to the attic. I will ask him about performing a load calculation, though, since I haven't yet had one. Is that something they would charge for, or would they do it for no charge if they are pricing out an install for me? Any other questions I should ask up front? Thank you so much for the help!

Hi Mike, No neither contractor did a load calculation. They both live close to me and claimed that for my house the 5 ton condenser I had was barely adequate. For that reason they recommended two 3 ton. It was also claimed to me that for a 3 ton condenser paired with a 80% AFUE furnace, the furnace size must be either 90,000 or 70,000btu. ??? Also in my house, I find in the summer frequently my upstairs gets hot enough that I would like to run the AC, but the downstairs is still quite comfortable. The reverse is true in the winter. Since I have a 2 story entryway smack in the middle of the house, I think the theory is that at those times I could run the system on the floor that needs it, and just run the fan to circulate the air on the other. The rise of hot and fall of cold air will benefit the other floor. Of course there will be times when both systems will have to run. We do go below freezing at times, and hit some 100 degree days. Does this sound like good reasoning to you? Concerning the Carrier rebates. The Totaline thermostat is apparently made by Carrier. I looked it up on the web and on the bottom of the page it has: copyright Carrier Corporation 2008, so I am hoping that is OK. I will email Carrier directly. Also according to the chart given me by one of the contractors, for the Infinity Systems both the Infinity or EDGE Control thermostats qualify for their $1,000 per system rebate, hence $2,000 for 2. Both contractors have said their combo of Boost 80 furnace and Performance 17 series condenser will qualify for the Fed Rebate of $1,500. Thanks for the tip on the additional 10 year warranty from Carrier. I will look into that. Any thoughts on whose price for the Performance system is more reasonable? Thanks for your help!

WOW! How long will it take to pay that back in energy costs? That's unbelievable. As a contractor, I usually defend higher pricing if the quality is there, but WOW! Here's my two cents. Find a reliable independent contractor. Find someone that has a reputation for honesty. I know that will be hard, but it can be done. A big box store ain't gonna get it. There are too many layers to take a chance. In the end. nobody will want to take responsibility if something goes wrong. A family owned, independent contractor knows the "buck stops here". Don't let someone sell you extremely overpriced equipment that you will NEVER pay back on energy savings. A 16 SEER single stage system will work just fine and will offer great energy savings, I promise. It will also be much more trouble free as it will not have most of the junk manufacturers put on the ultra high efficiency stuff so they can manipulate the SEER numbers (did I just say that?). Stick with the mid-range efficiency. You'll be glad you did. Don't do anything without someone verifying that your ducts are correctly sized and insulated. Your duct system comprises exactly half of your heating and air conditioning system. Most of the people I know that install this ultra high efficiency "stuff" end up with very inefficient equipment because their ducts are undersized, not properly insulated, and leaking. My money will be spent on the duct system FIRST, not last. After that, then go for efficiency. Before the duct system is corrected, don't waste money on "super boxes". That's my two cents and worth exactly what you paid, but I think good advice. Feel free to check out some of the articles I've written on my websiteHERE, Hope this helps!