HVAC Quotes

12 years ago

I am new to Gardenweb, so let me start by saying thank you for all your advice and guidance. This really is a fabulous site. I was hoping to get some feedback on three HVAC quotes. I need to install one of them in our new 2,700 square foot house in Sacramento, CA. The house is fairly well insulated and we will be doing extra air-sealing. We already decided we don't want a heat pump. The three quotes we have to date include:

1. Trane XB series/XC95, 3 ton split gas system 15.5 seer/12.4 eer; $18,300 or Trane XL201/XC95, 3 ton split gas system 18.5/13eer; $19,990. Upgrade to R-8 ductwok $750.

2. York Affinity 97% efficient modulating furnace with 2-sstage 18 SEER AC unit (either 2 or 3 tons), Duct system design with Manual J and D Load calculations; R-8 ducts dep buried where possible, new high performance curved blade register grills; $14,487.

3.Carrier 24APA736A003 3 ton, 17.5 SEER with 58MUC060F114 variable speed 95% efficiency and C36H175D456 3 ton with 2 zones and R-8 ducts; no price yet.

I don't know much about HVAC systems, so any input on brand and/or system type would be great. I am somewhat concerned about energy efficiency, but of course I need to balance that with price. Thank you!

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Comments (4)

SkyHeating
12 years ago
Is the Trane system an air conditioner only or is it a heat pump system? The Trane XC95 is a fully modulating furnace and the XL20i is a two compressor unit, its the only unit on the market that has this feature.

Why does the york unit say either 2 or 3 ton? If they truely did a Manual J they would tell you the size and not guess or let you choose.

what contractor did you feel most comfortable with? I love the XL20i units and that is the most popular unit I install.
lsainz
Original Author
12 years ago
Hi Sky,

Train is a/c only. 2 or 3 ton because I believe we were right at 2.5, so we upsized to 3. I do like the Trane system, but price wise I am leaning toward the Carrier at $14,000 w/o the rebates included. Not sure about the Coil they proposed. Any thoughts on the Carrier system?
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mike_home
12 years ago
I think you have a typo on the Carrier furnace model It should start with 58MVC and not 58MUC. I have this furnace and so far I am please with it. The 2-stage AC is a nice feature if you live in a humid climate. The proposed coil does not look like a Carrier model number. I suggest you request the matching Carrier coil.

I don't have zoning with my system, but I have only read good things about the Infinity controller with the zoning feature. I suggest adding a 4 inch media filter and Carrier's 10 year labor warranty.
lsainz
Original Author
12 years ago
Hi Mike,

Thanks much. You're right about the typo and I appreciate the suggestions. I'll talk to my contractor about the media filter and 10-year labor warranty. You are correct, the coil is not a Carrier. We had to go with another coil in order to qualify for rebates. One of the issues that has come up is that the btu on the Carrier furnace is oversized (60k btu). The Trane proposal was at 22k btu - which is suppose to eliminate short cycling on the heating end. Any thoughts?