Price sounds within reason for a complete new system. Go with the best contractor. One important thing: Why is he/she quoting a R22 system? R22 units will no longer be made after 2010 as the refrigerant is being phased out. That's not to say that there's a big problem with putting in a R22 system, and R22 should be available for quite some time down the road, but at this point, I would go for a R410A system--that's the way the market's moving. The unit is R22, but the coil is R410A. I'm confused. Maybe he meant to put 4TTX. How was the system sized? You are decreasing size. I'd certainly ask to see the load calculation to support this downsize. Also, I'm not sure if Trane's XV90 was discontinued or what, but now all I see is the XV80 or XV95. You might want to go with the XV95 instead. Sorry, I know I'm throwing a ton of info at you!

Do you use A/C a lot in Michigan? It seems to me that heating is your big season, so do you need a 15 SEER A/C? The XL15i is a great unit, and if you can budget it, great, but it may not be 100% necessary. What makes you choose this contractor over the others, and what type of equipment did the other quotes involve?

Ryan,
Thanks for the reply. The unit is 410a, I think he mistyped the quote, I was throwing all kinfd of info at him.

The house is 2 story and about 2550 square foot (1350 on the first floor and 1200 on the second.)plus a 1200 sq ft unfinished basement.

He did a square footage measurement (all floors) a window direction and count, and a return and vent count, He said thet the 2.5 ton was actually the number he came up with. I insisted on at least going with a 3 ton. He kept on telling me 95% efficiency so maybe the XV90 is a typo also?? He was at the house about an hour and a half coming up with everything. I was trying to decide whether a heat pump was the way to go, and if I could recoup the additional cost within a reasonable amount of time.
The XL15i is also 2 stage so I felt that over time it could save me. Also noise is a factor and I was told beside the XL19i, the XL15i is the quietest.

The original price was around $10,800 and I talked him down to $9200. He said I could upgrade to the XL15i heatpump for an additional $800 to make the total $10,000.

The other companys were as follows:

Company B

(1) Bryant 355-060100 95%
(1) Bryant-Puron 165ANA-042 15 seer 3.5 ton ac
(1) unnamed coil
(1) Bryant MacPac Air Cleaner

No calculations, went by me telling what the square footage was.

Total Price Installed $9079

______________________________________________________

Company C

(1)Distinctions GSX13042 AC UNIT 13 SEER
(1)Distinctions CAPF3642D COIL
(1)Distinctions GMU950905D 95% FURNACE
(1)APRIL AIRE 5000 AIR FILTER

No calculations, went by me telling what the square footage was.

Total Price Installed $8000

______________________________________________________

Company D

(1)CARRIER WEATHERMAKER 58MVB100-20
(1)4" MEDIA AIR CLEANING SYSTEM
(1)CARRIER 24ACA042-3 3.5T 13 SEER COMFORT SERIES AC
(1)CAPVU4221 COIL

No calculations, went by me telling what the square footage was.

Total Price Installed $8753

Thanks for all your time!!

Wow, those prices way too high....

thetraner

here are my observations.

1.on quote #1, you need to verify model numbers on the Trane furnace. You definitely don't want R-22, go with the R410a. I don't like the idea of dropping from a 3 1/2 ton AC condenser to a three ton. Request a load calculation for both cooling and heating in writing. If good dehumidification for your area/climate is important for AC cooling, then elect the Trane XL900 or Honeywell VisionPro IAQ stat. If not, request at least Trane's 803 stat.

For 99% of families and their homes, a good 4-5" media cabinet like the Perfect Fit is more than adequate for indoor air quality and evap coil/blower motor protection. Be aware there are regular cleaning/maintenance issues with EACs including the CleanEffects. These units will be problematic if instructions are not followed.

Be aware the XL15i is Trane's top of line sgl stg condenser. It is not two stage!

2.On the Bryant quote, you definitely want the Evolution controller for the Evolution 355AAV furnace. Is it included? Also find out the mdl number of the Evap coil.

3.Discard the Goodman equipment.

4.The Bryant quote includes a higher eff AC condenser than the Carrier quote.

5.If you have reasonable electric rate, I would consider upgrading the Trane XL15i and the Bryant Preferred 15 to the equivalent heat pump model;therefore you would have a hybrid or dual fuel system.

6.Get ductwork thoroughly inspected. If you have any hot/cold spots within your home, now is the time to address these issues.

IMO

The XL15i is a good unit and quiet. I agree with Tiger on the media filter cabinet. The model you provided is not for the XV95, so clarify this. Ductwork sizing and equipment sizing is very important. The Trane guy's procedure sounded like a makeshift load calculation; I'd insist on a true Manual J load calculation. Wrongly-sized equipment is NOT efficient. Going by square footage is one of the worst methods of sizing equipment... I have 3.5 tons for 3500 sq. ft. (including finished basement), but I have shade. Trane, Carrier and Bryant all make fine equipment (though I would favor Trane before Carrier/Bryant in most cases), but if you go with a Carrier/Bryant, insist on a tin-plated copper coil (will have ATA at the end of the coil)--these supposedly hold up better to leaking compared to the ACA coils. Good luck. I'd get back at the Trane guy and ask for a copy of a Manual J load calculation for heat gain and heat loss (A/C sizing AND furnace sizing needs to be done with a Manual J for best efficiency and results) as well as the correct model numbers. And I'd go for a Honeywell IAQ YTH9421 thermostat with dehumidify on demand (blower slows down) enabled or Trane's TCONT803; I'm not sure about the TCONT900's ability with non-communicating systems.

Ryan and shifrbv,

What type of price should I expect to pay for an XV95, XL15i heat pump and an Tcont803 installed? I am sweating to death!

The Traner

Hard to tell without seeing the job and knowing the area's/contractor's prices. I'd say $8000 is a fair price, but it's just speculation from here. You might want to consider the VisionPRO IAQ t-stat instead.

8-10K range

unless you have allergies in your family and are willing to make the committment to perform the necessary regular cleaning/maintenance on the CleanEffects, then I would opt out and substitute a good 4-5" pleated media filter cabinet like Trane's Perfect Fit or Honeywell's F200.

Same equipment is available from American Standard(Trane's sister company) and probably a little less expensive.

I would also consider your Bryant quote or Carrier equivalent....

mdl 355AAV 95% AFUE gas furnace
Evolution controller
265ANA Preferred 15 HP with matching coil
media cabinet

IMO

Ryan,

Straight forward replacement install, all electrical is ran and up to spec, minimal sheet metal work.

I just recieves another quote from another Trane dealer.

(1) XV95
(1) XL14i Heat Pump 410a (said they do not make a 410a in the 15 seer)

All installation, tcont803 therm, for $8705.
(1)

They make a XL15i in R410A. That dealer needs to get with the game. There is a slight chance that he can't get it in your area, but they do indeed make it and it is a great unit. For a pretty straight-forward replacement, the prices you're getting sounds a little high to me, but like I said I don't know the prices in your area--may just be high. You're looking at nice equipment nonetheless. I got a quote for a XL15i 4-ton heat pump with a variable-speed air handler for $7755 (minus $400 rebate) with rebates a while back. This included the TCONT803 thermostat and all installation and materials. Just to give you an idea. I'm not sure what the cost of the the XV95 is in comparison to the 4TEE variable-speed air handlers are.

the XLl5i HP has much better performance numbers than the XL14i HP....

IMO