Help with HVAC quotes

16 years ago

I need to replace my 20 year old system and have two quotes so far. They have left me a little confused.

First contractor -

4 ton Trane XR-15 Heat pump (don't know the model number)

$5450 and eligible for the $1500 tax credit

Second contractor -

4 ton Carrier Comfort AC with gas furnace (24ACB4 & 58PHA)

$8000 and eligible for the $1500 tax credit

I currently have a 4-ton 20 year old trane unit with gas furnace.

First contractor said the heat pump was the best option and I would save a ton of money both up front and on my utility bills over the gas unit.

Second contractor said gas was the best option and the heat pump would cost me a lot of money during the winter and the HP wouldn't do a good job heating my home.

I live in North Florida and while it is warm down here it can get very cold in between Jan - Feb. We had 40 days of freezing temps and many days in the teens this winter. Also my house has a lot of poorly insulated windows.

So which contractor is right? Are these good deals? I'll probably be calling out more contractors but would like some advice. Thanks

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Comments (8)

dougl99
16 years ago
on cooling, the heat pump and the a/c work the same

since you have gas available, gas heat would be the normal choice for heating your home. Depending on energy costs for electricity and nat. gas there are times when one is cheaper to operate than the other. Pumps will operate their best with 'warmer' cold weather. The term is called 'balance point'. Heat pumps also put out air that is not as warm as a gas furnace. Gas furnaces tend to dry everything out (maybe not bad in FL).

You may want to entertain a Hybrid system. The old name was duel-fuel. Heat pump for temps down to say 45 and gas furnace below that. Those temps are a guess w/out actually calculating. If I was to pick, I prefer nat. gas.
baldloonie
16 years ago
The Trane won't get a tax credit unless installed with a matching Trane gas furnace with high efficiency blower motor. And with a Trane coil there are a choice of 3 furnaces that make it. So be very careful of what the Trane dealer is promising.

No, you don't know cold in Florida! A heat pump would be great.

Heat pumps do well down to at least 30 out.
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classicdave
16 years ago
It sounds like one guy has peanutbutter the other chocolate.
You just need to trip them so they make a peanut butter cup or Hybrid Heat system.
hybrid heat = Gas furnace with heatpump

I live in North FL and a heat pump works fine.
Cost of kw to run a heatpump cost less then therms for your gas heat.
So the heat pump will run on mild cold days and then the gas heat will kick in on when the temp gets around 30F or lower.

keep in mind if you convert to just a heat pump you will need 220v to the Air Handler which will cost extra.
moneym
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the replies. I guess the Gas vs Heat pump is a not a sure call. I keep getting differing opinons.

> The Trane won't get a tax credit unless installed with a matching Trane gas furnace with high efficiency blower motor.

baldloonie, the Trane Heat Pump needs to be installed with a gas furnace? Are you sure? I thought the Heat Pump eliminated the need for the furnace. The Trane dealer already told me that the XR15 AC needed to be paired with an expensive furnace if I wanted to get a tax credit. That is why he recommended the XR15 Heat Pump to save money. Did you misread my first post or am I confused?
moneym
Original Author
16 years ago
classicdave,
Thanks. How much more is a hybrid HP/Gas system?

Also do you know anything about the tax credit for the Heat Pump? is the trane dealer correct about it's elegiblity for the credit? It's an XR15 16 SEER Heat pump.

Finally, what about the prices? Are they in line with what you would expect?
tk03
16 years ago
I would do a straight heat pump with electric back-up. I live in PA and do my heating with a heat pump/electric back-up. I have never had as low of a fuel bill as I do now. My unit is 13 SEER. My highest electric bill in 3 years of living in this 78 vintage home was $231.00. That is all electric.
My electric back-up does not come on until I get down to about 20Âº except for defrost.
The key is not to oversize which happens about 90% of the time. My house is about 2500 sq ft and it is a three ton HP.
ryanhughes
16 years ago
I think baldloonie was referring to the XR15 air conditioner needing the special high-efficiency blower furnace to get the tax credit.

The 4 ton XR15 heat pump (4TWR5048E1) can be paired with the 4TEE3F65B1 air handler and qualify for the tax credit. This is Trane's biggest air handler both physically and capacity wise, but can be made to work. They need to adjust the airflow from 5 tons to 4 tons for it to work right.
heatman
16 years ago
Go with the heatpump using Trane I wouldnt worry to much about the tax credit youll spend what you get back to get it unless you plan on being in the home for ten years If you go with the variable speed make sure to ask about Tranes extended ten year parts and labor warranty as these can be costly to repair.