tiger, you are correct, i should not have included the 2 ton quote for system comparison. It was one of the first quoted and I have simply referred to it as a general idea of the price difference between pack and hybrid. It is roughly $1500 less than the 2.5 ton hybrid. Speculation tells me there is ~$500 difference between the 2.5 ton gas pack and the infinity hybrid. I just thought that for that amount the upgrade to Infinity system/hybrid was the better buy. American Std. dealer had originally quoted an Amana unit, and when I notified him that I was not going with him based on not wanting the Amana brand, he offered the AmStd as an alternative. That peaked my interest and I put my plans on hold. During our negotiations I was discussing the single stage compressor on the AmStd vs Infinity dual stage, and the Carrier was hybrid etc. He told me that if it was the hybrid that I wanted he would provide that at the same price as well. ($6781) I thought that was a bit odd as well, but I figured it just confirmed how much markup he really had in the Amana. The controller is a Honeywell (did not give specific model) and it does have an outdoor sensor. I am totally on the fence on this one, either of the two units are more than sufficient for me. We do not plan to leave this location and want a system that will be reliable and viable for years to come. Both companies have been in the business for a long long time and have good reputations in the area. I feel like the Infinity offers more features and probably is more advanced, but the AmStd is an excellent unit as well and the warranty is superior. Please if I am wrong feel free to enlighten me, I need unbiased opinions to help me with this. I have asked the AmStd dealer what is required to maintain the warranty (if anything) and how the single stage compressor efficiency compares to the Carrier's dual stage. In addition I asked the Carrier dealer if he did insure that my existing ductwork is sized/compatible with the Infinity's requirements. I did not follow him under the floor when he was here, so I am not sure what he checked on the ductwork. I do know all were extremely satisfied with the condition and quality of the ductwork. However I had read that the ECM motor on the Infinity requires specific sizing to ensure it functions properly. Thanks again for your input!

One thing that might help with high load-related dimming is a multivolt ballast. I am not sure. They operate on voltages between 120 and 277. It has never been clear to me if they adjust to differing voltages in a discrete or continuous fashion and how fast the adjustment is. Maybe someone else will know that detail. On-off is probably killing your tubes On the other hand, good program-start ballasts are recommended for occupancy sensor use. At some point, you begin to measure fluorescent lamp life in "starts" instead of hours. I wish that I could be more certain that the T8 ballasts will eliminate your noise problem completely. All I can say is that I don't hear mine at all. I know, however, that I have some high frequency hearing loss. Any good new electronic ballast operates above 20kHz for efficiency purposes. They are more likely to cause EMF or RFI problems than audible noise. (They need to be designed to avoid frequencies that cause EMF and RFI problems.) If you buy your ballasts locally, you could just change over one of your three and disconnect the other two for sound testing purposes. If it does not work for you, maybe you can get the store to agree, beforehand, to take the ballasts and lamps back. One thing in your favor is that your lumnaire appears to have non-shunted sockets and is wired for rapid-start/program start. There are some wiring diagrams (and other information that might be of interest) in this link: http://www.lighting.philips.com/pwc_li/us_en/connect/advance/assets/1-01_to_1-69_Atlas2012.pdf I like ballasts that will continue to operate the rest of the lamps if one goes out. Not all do that. I bought two boxes of ten (one each 1 or 2-tube and 3 or 4 tube) on ebay for $10 or less/ballast. I have a lot of linear fluorescent that came with my house and garage. Your light quality is likely to be greatly improved with the T8 tubes. I think that high CRI tubes are available in T12 format, they are not as common as for T8. Look for a high-quality lamp. I bought a bunch of GE SPX tubes. (SP are lower CRI). Other manufacturers have other notations. Color is largely a matter of taste. I like a more natural, daylight color. If you ballasts qualify for the NEMA Premium Ballast program, you are more likely to have good quality. Here is a link that might be useful: NEMA Premium Ballast

That is my question, HU-773166389. My late husband, deceased 9 years now, built a brick will with 6 pillars and wired 2 for lighting along with landscape lighting. Sadly he passed before completing everything. I purchased limestone caps and 120v pillar lighting fixtures a couple of years ago but just located a brick layer pointer who will place the caps. He noticed that the wiring is LV in the pillars. As he revisited it, I recalled the questions that I had when I originally purchased the fixtures. I would want to use LV-LED bulbs anyway. Nothing is wired into the breaker box yet, but to run new wire would be a major investment as there are brick walkways that run from the house to the the where the pillars are. I am hoping from reading this that I will be able to have the electrician wire the 120 fixture directly to the 12 volt landscape wire that ia wired to a transformer and install a 4-10 watt bulb in each. and be done. Just need confirmation.

Hello tigerdunes, Thank you for your help in identifying the differences between the 2 bids. I would've never known about the refrigerant lines based from my lack of knowledge of this stuff. Yes, these systems are identical. I had intended this so that I can compare "apples to apples". Carrier did provide the AHRI number, but it's not shown on the proposal. Should I insist that the specifics be added to contract before signing? Carrier dealer plan to use Pro thermostat model# T805, how does this thermostat compare to the Carrier Edge thermostat? I did find it curious that neither Bryant nor Carrier included a Bryant/Carrier brand thermostat. The furnace and ductwork is located in the attic space. I did have a conversation with Bryant dealer a while back inquiring R8 and his response was that most houses in my climate zone uses R6 (the impression I got was that R8 would be more than what I'd need), but that he could give me a quote if I really wanted the upgrade (said it's not that much more in cost). So as far as the option of getting all new R6 ductwork to replace the existing R4, I was leaning towards passing on it factoring that both heating and cooling is scarcely used in this house. The winters are pretty mild here (this past winter the heating was only turned on twice for several hours at dawn. During the summers, the A/C gets turned on no more than a total of 10 times for several hours in the late afternoons of the hottest days. I figured if the existing ducts are in good condition, I saw no cost-benefit to upgrade to new ductwork. What do you think? Am I wrong in my rationality? Yes, there is only one return, located in the hallway. I measured the grille to be about 15"x30", actual open area is closer to 13"x28.5". We are thinking enlarging the existing to 20"x30". Will this be large enough for 1200 CFMs? Thank you again for your help!