Rose, Did those prices include the rebates? They appear "reasonable" based on the equipment quoted, but the ductwork add-on cost is high in my opinion. I strongly recommend the duct replacement/improvement if it is 25 years old and in poor condition (i.e., not well sealed if at all, falling apart, etc.). For that price, I would hope it includes sheet metal plenums and trunklines, sealed with mastic and insulated with R8 fiberglass insulation along well properly done R8 flex duct branches to the registers. It makes little sense to me to invest big bucks on equipment and combine it with an inefficient and/or improperly sized duct system. I think your approach is right to get more estimates and see where they come in to get a proper feel for the pricing in your market -- it truly does vary by area. If they are actually considerably lower (and you'd have to wonder what corners they'd be cutting), it looks like the contractor you seem to prefer is willing to work with you. I am sure you have read enough to know that finding the right installer is very critical in having a reliable, well-performing system. It sounds like you have found a good one by what you describe. I take it he/she did a load calculation based on the information they gathered and verified 3 ton is the proper size? Lastly, Trane is the right way to go in my opinion especially in an environment such as yours where the air is highly corrosive over time to the units. I visit Ocean City, MD somewhat regularly and it is very evident which units hold up better over time and still seem to be working well: Trane. Also, some great questions to be answered as provided by TD above. There are lots of details that need to be included on the written estimate. The above is a good start. This post was edited by ryanhughes on Sun, May 12, 13 at 11:07

Jeannie: One thing you could try to do is switch from those cheap-o blue spun fiberglass filters to a pleated filter that's not too retrictive (MERV 8 rating or less). Home Depot sells a 3-pack of NaturalAire Standard pleated filters made by Flanders (MERV 8) for $8 for a 3-pack. These will filter much more dust/dirt that the fiberglass filters. Have you checked the attic to see if there are leaks in the return air ducts up there? How about looking for debris in any accessible vents (maybe someone swept some dirt in floor vents - I have seen it)? I am not knowledgeable with fiber ducts as I have all metal in my house. Best of luck to you.

An HRV is required by code on all new homes in the US. This is for ventilation air. I have one, works great. See link. Costs less than solar. An ERV will recover moisture too as well as heat. If you do not have a sealed combustion furnace (2 pipes, intake & exhaust) and have a gravity furnace, a combustion air duct is required to supply air for the furnace burner. You can create a "cold air trap" by placing a box on the floor and dropping the combustion air duct into the box (No top). You may also be able to connect the Combustion air duct to the return duct to the furnace (Check code). Attach duct at least 10'0" away from the furnace soas not to crack the heat exchanger with the cold air. Connecting to the return also creates a slight positive pressure in the house reducing infiltration/drafts. Stay Warm! Dan Martyn Here is a link that might be useful: Broan HRV

Although New York City may be and expensive place to live and install central air, most of the State is not any more expensive than many other parts of the country. Check into the NYSERDA program. The need for cooling varies a lot between the humid and relatively warm costal plain and inland mountains in the North. Lots of choices to be made and if you make them before contacting contractors, you can get a better comparison. If the OP could be happy with the cooling performance of good quality window units, then mini splits could work quite well. I really don’t like the idea of outdoor ducts, whether they be in the vented attic or crawlspace. In a home that size, you might be able to get away with a minimally-ducted mini split and a wall unit or two, or two of the former. The minimally ducted units can be installed by sacrificing the upper reaches of a closet or two, or in the upper space of a basement stairway. One AHU can supply directly at least two rooms that way and often three or four. IMHO, mini splits are a made to fit solution to adding cooking to a fine hydronic heating system. How is the domestic hot water supplied right now? Assuming that you don’t have steam, if you decide to stick with hydronic heat, please get someone that knows what they are doing or do your own research. Plugging a modern, low mass modulating boiler into an old system can be tricky. If it is not done right, you will get less than optimal comfort, no payback from a more expensive boiler that could have saved you money, and a broken down boiler before its time. If you have all the original radiators and have (or will) improved air sealing and insulation in the house, you are a long way towards a situation that can take advantage of an efficient boiler. That is because you can get sufficient heat out of excess radiation, especially cast iron radiation, at relatively low water temperature. In a home that size, I’d consider installing a Westinghouse WGR050NG076 water heater as your boiler. They modulate 3:1. They are efficient. They are inexpensive; the appliance can be had for about 2 kilobucks. You don’t have to be rocket scientist to install them in place of a high mass boiler because they are high mass boilers. Little or no modification of your current piping would be needed.