your boiler is nat gas fired? Where will outside AC condenser be placed? No crawl space available? Refrigerant lines have to go somewhere and for attic installation, that means down an outside wall.

1. No,

2. not ideal but yes done all the time, new ductwork mastic sealed with extra good insulation properties

3. Strike Lennox and add Carrier/Bryant, low 70s db rating minimum

4. Certainly not all flex. Preferably individual room returns but at minimum 3 central returns with filter cabinet at air handler for improved comfort and airflow of course strategically located...

5..difficult to say about pricing especially for expensive NY location but using WAG system and assuming 3 ton 14-15 SEER condenser with var speed air handler, I would say no more than 10-12 K. Insist on load calc for correct sizing.

IMO

"your boiler is nat gas fired?" No, its oil fired.

" Where will outside AC condenser be placed?" Outside the garage side of the house which is totally separated from the living areas

"No crawl space available?" House has full basement but I have hot water baseboard heating units

refrigeration lines will have to run up the garage side of the house to the attic space but is not visible from the road or the driveway.

since oil fueled boiler, what is your electric rate?....you might want to see if any operating leverage using a HP in shoulder mths and/or milder winter weather.

IMO

1. No, except that you beat out price increases for the next year.

2. Yes, in the south the attic is the preferred place when there is room to do so. The harder it is to access equipment the more it will cost you when it comes time to repair and in some cases replace. There are pros and cons to any place you decide to place the equipment. Serviceability is key here, there is no HVAC unit that doesn't break down at some point.

3. Brands don't matter as much as you think they do. It more important that you buy a system from a dealer that will service it, repair it when it breaks. Buy a system with the options that are important to you and use a dealer that is technically proficient at repairing the system. The installing contractor is who you will rely on if there are any problems with the system. If you call any manufacturer they will tell you to call a HVAC contractor / dealer etc. Manufacturer's do not make house calls. Look at hour availability of the HVAC contractor in general. Are they available everyday? Or just Mon-Fri 7-4, 8-5, 9-6 etc. Can you live with a unit that is down over the weekend?

If they say "24 hour service available": test it. Many times these calls go thru an after hours service. The service then dispatches to the tech that is on call at that time. Most of the time, these companies are just saying they have it... when in all actuality it is far worse than advertised. This comes down to what you can live with, but where there's smoke, fire is not far behind.

4. Rigid pipe is very costly, can last a life time provided it doesn't get crushed by someone stepping on it. Flex has come a long way. Using R8 flex properly hung and installed can easily last 15-20 years, maybe longer.

5. Depends on amount of work, local market, details of the job, quality of the company used (in most cases). Details, Details, Details --- there in lies the devil.

NY might have some rebates if you are considering an energy efficient heat pump for heating as well as cooling.

Check the NYSERDA program for rebates. Mini splits lines, drains and cables can be run in interior walls into the basement. 6 of mine are run in interior walls and one in an exterior wall. Just because HVAC is retrofitted into attics in the South and West does not mean that it is a good idea. Fur-downs or basement locations would be better. You want to keep ducts and the unit inside the house envelope if you can. Ducts leak. Outdoor supply ducts depressurize the house sucking in make-up air in random places. Outdoor return duct leaks pressurize the house blowing out air in random places. Duct leaks tend to cause random pressure differentials in different room, again, turning your HVAC blower into a power vent.

I have experience living in CNY homes. I believe that many could easily be cooled with a nice combination of high wall units in bedrooms and minimally-ducted units for cooling the LR, kitchen and DR areas. If not possible for the latter, maybe ceiling cassettes or high wall units.

I coming to the end of my due diligence of trying to select a HVAC contractor and brand of equipment.

The contractors I'm the most comfortable with offer American Standard and Rheem A/C equipment.

Of these two brands which do you believe is better from a reliability and serviceability standpoint?

I would appreciate some input.

Thank you

I would want to see the model numbers of the systems proposed. Again, since oil fueled boiler, what is your electric rate?....you might want to see if any operating leverage using a HP in shoulder mths and/or milder winter weather.

IMO

My electric rate is .04708 per KWh plus a delivery charge of .04758696 per KWh along with a flat basic service charge of $17.00.

The recommended equipment is as follows:

American Standard

- Fore Front Platinum TAM7A036H31SD air handler with a variable speed ECM blower

- 4A7A4036L1000A 3 Ton, 14 seer A/C unit

Rheem

- RH1V3617STANJA air handler with variable speed ECM blower

- RA1636AJ1NA 3 Ton, 14.5 up to 16 Seer A/C unit

Both options include rigid metal pipe insulated to R-8

BTW, my Buderus Boiler is 87% efficient.

Thank you for your input

what do you project as a good cost/gal for fuel oil this winter?

TD

I used $2.25 gal for oil and 2.50 COP for HP efficiency.

See results to be used as a guide only.

Cost per 100,000 btu of useable heat

Electric baseboard:$2.64

Heat pump:$1.17

Oil:$1.87

I would definitely consider a HP for use during shoulder mths.

IMO

"what do you project as a good cost/gal for fuel oil this winter?" It's capped at $2.389.

The price per gallon of my last delivery a month ago was $1.8890

I would appreciate your comments about the American Standard vs Rheem A/C equipment I provided.

7942209 Active Systems RHEEM; RUUD RHEEM SALES COMPANY, INC. RA1636AJ1 RH1V3617STAN 1025 35200 13.00 15.50 1 RCU-A-CB All 286

7502874 Active Systems AMERICAN STANDARD SILVER 14 AMERICAN STANDARD 4A7A4036L1 *AM7A0C36H31 1170 35800 13.00 15.50 1 RCU-A-CB Southeast and North 291

performance/eff numbers are basically the same. What thermostat? I generally would prefer AmStd but I would let the price and your comfort level with dealer be your guide. I also suggest the HP model as well as long as your electric panel could accept a small heat strip without any modification.

What are you doing about return air filtration? And what did you decide about the ductwork?

IMO

"What thermostat?" Not sure of brand and model at this point but the initial estimate states it will be a programmable thermostat that would control both heat and cooling.

Btw, what is the purpose of the heat strip? To prevent freezing during cold weather? (just a wild guess)

you would need a small heat strip only for the HP. Since oil boiler will be your primary mode of heat, I would think a 7.5 -10 KW heat strip would be fine. Heat strips for HPs serve 3 purposes; supplemental heat, to temper air on defrost call, and emergency heat. Both AmStd and Rheem have electronic demand defrost feature which reduces defrost calls. I think HP idea is worthy down to 30 degrees. Then use your boiler heat. Anyway, your decision.

IMO