I don't care to crunch numbers for you nor split hair over value vs expense,all those are reliable manufactures. I will offer some advice however. If what you choose doesn't come from factory with compressor time delay, add one at install. If tenant is responsible for filter changes,furnish them filters of correct size and decent quility.

acushin2;

Your HVAC contractor will be the most important piece to the puzzle. This contractor should not only be relied on to direct your path on equipment replacement, he should also be good enough to fix the system when it breaks or needs service.

If you just take the approach of lowest price wins, or place one brand over another without the contractor equation determined you may find yourself stuck in a bad way if something bad happens.

Basic SEER equipment is nothing special among various brands. Skill in install, repairs and proper maintenance has a good bearing on how much trouble you will or won't have in most cases.

Lennox and Trane /AS make great equipment but parts are more expensive and there can be parts availability issues in certain locations and due to exclusive dealer agreements.

For rental property especially, I suggest going with a brand that has multiple parts sources available so that any competent tech can repair it without delay. Yes, get the simplest system you can - less to break and least costly to repair. It is my understanding the some mfgs offer single stage 16 SEER systems. Which of the (non-exclusive dealer) brands of HVAC is most reliable ? I am trying figure that one out myself,

to add-if the condensing units do not have factory high and low pressure switches in , have them installed. Install a ventilated enclosure ( eg, lattice etc, and make it removable for servicing) around the condensing unit to be protect it from damage from impacts and dog urine. Also,the condensing unit coils should be washed before every cooling season.

The winter design temperature of Omaha is -2F degrees. I am wondering if the American Standard furnace with a 32K BTU input and 25.6K BTU output is the proper size. When you deal with tenants you never know how hot or cold they want it to be.

My advice is to stay away from the cheapest equipment in any of the manufacturer's lineup. They typically don't have safety switches and timer delays and the build quality is not the best. Determine which local dealer will respond when a tenant has a compliant. It would make sense to give all the business to one contractor in order to form a good relationship and get better pricing and service.

See if you can get an extended labor warranty agreement. I would not enter into a maintenance agreement where you pay a lot of money so you get "free" warranty labor. But perhaps one of these contractors offers a reasonable 5 year labor warranty at an additional cost.

Thanks for all the comments, I'll be sure to consider the safety switches and timer delays, things I wasn't considering to start with.

Pete - good comment about protecting the units, a couple of them are already pretty beat up as it is and I wouldn't want that for the new ones.

Thanks again everyone.

The furnaces in the Trane and AmStd quote are identical. Has the high eff blower motor. For Mike, that would be 40 K input, 32 K output. It is my understanding that the XR13 AC condenser has been discontinued. For both Trane and AmStd quotes, I would suggest XR14 condenser and Silver 14 condenser, identical models. I also would want a whole house filter cabinet like HW Mdl 200. For thermostats HW Mdl 8321, a good basic programmable thermostat.

IMO

Whenever I see a size posted for a furnace I assume it is the input. The sizing makes more sense now that you cleared that up.

Is a humidifier required? Humidifiers need regular cleaning. Who will be responsible for this? I would not have the humidifier in order to avoid the maintenance issues. If the houses have tight windows it should not be necessary.

Mike_home,

One house has a humidifier, the others don't. I agree, it's one more thing to maintain, so point taken, I'll probably leave that off the new installs.

Tigerdunes - thanks for the comment on the media filter, seems like a small cost to consolidate the maintenance down to just once or twice a year.

Have you checked into local rebate programs for energy efficiency in rental properties?