kardut

what is your electric rate?

what is your nat gas rate/therm?

with nat gas costs rising and your area/climate, I think an 80% AFUE gas furnace is a dinosaur and mistake unless paired with a high eff heat pump.

I would change the Performance 15 AC to the HP model.Easily the upgrade to the Performance 15 HP will pay for itself.

Good pricing since it includes new ductwork.You want R-8 insulation both supply and return. Same equipment is available from Carrier's sister company Bryant which might be less expensive.

IMO

Tigerdunes--
Thanks for your input. I would rather stay away from heat pumps, despite the cost savings, as I never feel quite "warm and cozy" in the winter with one and know we would run the furnace instead of HP all winter anyway. (I know we're in the South, but VA winters can still get awfully cold, at least by my standards!!)

I should also clarify that the included ductwork is only to fit new unit to existing duct work.

I would like to go with the company that gave me these quotes -- they're a local "mom-and-pop" shop, have a good reputation and came out within an hour of my service call when I had no previous relationship with them. Just want to make sure we're getting a fair bid without having to get estimates from every HVAC guy in town!

Kardut:
We just went through this as well. I am not in N Va, but I am just outside of Philadelphia.

Pricing is OK, but also look at getting a better outside unit, on reason is you get a $1000 rebate. Yes unit costs more, but the 1K makes a difference. We are quoted: for a 1900 sq ft house:
85,000 BTU 2 stage, v-speed, 96% furnace (58MVB-080-F-1-14)
Coil (CNPVP3617ATA)
INFINITY CONTROL
17SEER (2 speed) AC unit (3 Ton)
quote #1 = 9,043 (-$1000 rebate = 8,043)
quote #2 = $8356 (-$1000) = $7356.

The $7356 is a local mom and pop, and came out as well. I only wanted a 15 SEER or equivalent, but with the rebate we get a 17SEER for similar money. This also has a 95% furnace.

Get multiple quotes and make sure its the same equipment model numbers.

good luck

Thanks for your input. Just had Lennox guy out and got a few more quotes to throw in the sandpile:

Gas furnaces: G6OUHV 110/5, 2-stage variable -- $4096
G50UH 110/4 standard -- $3049

AC and coil: XC16 4-ton 2-stage 15.5 SEER -- $4611
XC14 3-1/2 ton single stage 14/15.5 SEER -- $4139

Heat pump: XP16 4-ton 2-stage 15.7 SEER -- $5084
XP14 3-1/2 ton single stage 13.5 SEER -- $4487

also priced out a Health Climate Power humidifier ($554) and Merv 16 filter ($329, or $239 for Merv 10).

Any advice? Lennox vs Carrier? Thanks again from one confused consumer!

kardut

as said previously, an 80% is a dinosaur unless paired with a HP. If not a HP, then upgrade to a 95% var speed furnace. 95 two stg is fine, the three stg for your area is overkill unless the price difference is negligible.

as far as brands, Carrier Infinity(or Bryant Evolution), then Trane(or AmStd). Just don't care for Lennox.

IMO

Thanks tigerdunes --
I have an call in to the Carrier rep to find out the pricing on an HP. Just have memories of the HP we had in our old house, that always seemed cold in the winter (all electric, no gas furnace). Through reading this forum, I'm finding that that's no longer the case with the dual fuel and with the Infinity heat pumps.

"Heat pump: XP16 4-ton 2-stage 15.7 SEER -- $5084
XP14 3-1/2 ton single stage 13.5 SEER -- $4487"

What are the model numbers for the indoor units with these matchups? I would recommend a variable-speed blower with either case, which it doesn't look like you would be getting. The Lennox quote is unclear with lower pricing than I would expect for those types of systems (maybe not the furnaces). Would the indoor units be air handlers or the furnaces mentioned above?

Kardut -
I'm in Maryland and just purchased a new Carrier system in April:

Carrier 80% 2-stage gas furnace (58CTA110-16)
Carrier 13.5 SEER A/C (24APA542)

Paid $6,500

I got 2 quotes within a couple hundred $$.

Hope that helps.

ryanhughes--The heat pump would be used in combination with a gas furnace, so I'm assuming that the gas furnace would be the air handler (but you know what happens when you assume....). I'm a little uneasy about the Lennox quotes because of the vagueness of some of the elements (ie, no model number for thermostat or AC coil), and no detail of what labor is included (although rep said "everything").

mcu12 -- are you in suburban MD/DC area? If so, can you tell me who you used and if you were happy with them?

mcu12 and santarev -- Are you happy with your systems -- anything you wish you had done differently?

Thanks again for any advice and insight. I'm trying to go this alone while hubby's out of town, and I'm quite mechanically challenged!

Kardut, I'm in the suburban MD/DC area myself believe it or not. If you'd like a recommendation or two, I'm willing to give you one as well.

I'm in Northern VA (Reston/Herndon) and would like a few recommendations myself. 16-yr old York A/C seems to have a leaking coil drain pan. Haven't called anyone yet but want to get some folks out to take a look and provide some recommendations on what needs to be done.

ryanhughes -- would love a recommendation or two!

Okay, the one I really wanted to recommend (Don Hoffacker's Air Conditioning and Heating) I do not believe services the Northern VA area (I was thinking you were in MD until I reread the original post).

Try these three companies to begin with:

A-Advantage (I've spoken with one of the owners--great guy, honest) - http://www.a-advantage.com/index3.htm (choose the number closest to your location and ask for Tom)

United Air Temp (I've used this company in the past and have neighbors who have used them--they seem pretty competent) - http://www.unitedairtemp.com/

Cropp-Metcalfe (probably not going to be cheaper if that's what you're looking for, but nevertheless they are a good company) - http://www.croppmetcalfe.com/

The phone numbers should be readily accessible from the web site.

I'm sure there are many good, reasonably-priced companies in your area that you (and I) just don't know about, so my advice would be to ask neighbors, family, friends, etc. who they used and their level of satisfaction with this company. The last two companies on the list above were big companies, and their price will probably be higher than a smaller shop.

kardut -
I'm in Columbia, so my quotes were from companies closer to Baltimore than DC, but they may go out to Northern VA (you never know). I got quotes from Environmental Systems Associates (they do my HVAC maintenance) and BGEHome. I ended up going with BGEHome only because they provided a better warranty. I think I really benefitted from getting both companies to bid and compete on price against each other. I trusted both companies to stand behind their installation and be around to honor their warranties, just make sure you go with a company that is stable and has good references. My old unit was Carrier and was 20+ years old, so that's why I stuck with it. The install was painless - they came out and got it done in about 1/2 day.

Good luck - what an awful weekend to be without A/C!!!

Oh, we have AC, thanks to a Freon recharge that still seems to be holding ok. If not, you can be sure I'd be holed up in a hotel room by now!

I am late to this discussion, but I would highly recommend Gaithersburg Air Conditioning & Heating. They have proven to be professional, timely, and reasonably priced.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gaithersburg Air Conditioning & Heating