what size are you replacing?...all good equipment...I prefer authorized dealers...I question load calc from contractor #2 especially in cooling....pricing from both dealers high...I think the question you must answer is your budget and whether you want single stage, 2 stage condenser, or var speed condenser....what size heat strip quoted?...I would want it staged...how do you filter return air?...I suggest getting another quote from an Am Standard dealer, sister company to Trane.

IMO

The existing carrier unit is 3.5 ton. Air is filtered at the blower. I assume the same for the new units. Returns are in wall with "duct board" (not sure if that's the right term) only as necessary.

Both are authorized dealers and will install 20Kw backup heating strips that come in increments of 5Kw.

With the single stage and two stage all being 1k apart, the two stages are "in budget". The variable is about 3k more, but is interesting if it's easier to run off a generator (I have dreams of a Tesla powerwall)

I'm getting another quote from a recommended company (good on Angie's list as well).

Thanks for suggesting an American Standard dealer. I'm looking for one that is both good and nearby.

I currently have 20Kw strip heat in increments of 5Kw. So I'm inclined to leave that as is.
Contractor #1 has a 4" media filter. I can't find contractor #2s filter. He does have several upgrade options using Aprilaire parts.
Thanks for the input about the thermostat. I was wondering about the choice.
I scheduled an appointment with an American Standard dealer. Will keep you posted.

I met with a few more contractors for Bryant, Carrier and American Standard. I’ll start with American Standard first.

The American Standard contractor is the local Customer Care dealer and has very high marks on Angies list. When I inquired about the higher end heat pumps, his take was not much gain for a lot of money. He sized the house at cooling 3.71 ton and heating load at 42,417 BTUs. The units are paired with the standard Dexia thermostat.

AHRI 5767595 Gold 17 4A6H7048A1 with a TAM7A0C48H41 / 17 SEER / 9 HSPF for 10,250.00

AHRI 7561414 Gold 16 4A6H6048H1 with a TAM7A0C48H41 / 16 SEER / 9.5 HSPF for 9,615.00

The Bryant contractor is a dealer, but didn’t size the house. They used the existing heat pumps information to size the future unit.

AHRI 9893727 Evolution Extreme 280ANV048000 with a FE4ANF005T00 / SEER 17.5 / HSPF 11 for 12,991

AHRI 9897640 Evolution Series 288BNV048000 with a FE4ANF005T00 / SEER 18 / HSPF 11 for 10,654

AHRI 9650607 Evolution Series 286BNA048000 with a FV4CNB006T00 / SEER 16 / HSPF 8.5 for 9,702

The Carrier dealer had deals to offer and while he took the time to go over the house to size the unit and explain what they have, just gave me a dollar figure of 7,500 for any size 25HCE4 unit with whatever matched FE air handler. The SEER would be 15 and HSPF 8.5. I’m not sure what to make of him since he comes highly recommended and we had a good discussion about what his company can do. They are a very large dealer and buy X units per year and need to sell left over stock before the year closes. They are a Carrier recommended dealer in my area and are the installers on the million dollar homes (I know this from the person who recommended them).

I had the local electric company do an energy audit of my home. The auditor used my bills to do a rough calculation that my current heat pump consumed between 11,000 and 12,000 kWh per year. His suggestion was to seal the attic (a blower test and his inspection pointed to infiltration from the attic into the home) and leave the heat pump as is. From the energy usage, he said that the heat pump is not using as much as other all electric homes.

Looking at the HSPF ratings, it seems that each increment is a 10% performance improvement. Let’s say for argument’s sake that my heat pump is now operating at 7.5 HSPF (down from 8.2). A 9 or 10 HSPF offers at best a 25% improvement (~ $415/yr). Looking at the high end Carrier/Bryant, the HSPF goes up to 11 and the savings climbs to nearly $600. When none of these heat pumps pay for themselves, does it even make sense to buy one before my current one needs to be replaced?

To answer your last question, your current HP has below average efficiencies and at 20 yrs old is well past the average life for a heat pump. I personally prefer AmStd/Trane HPs especially for your location because they offer demand defrost feature that eliminate/reduce unnecessary defrost calls over cheap time/temp defrost feature. Carrier/Bryant do not offer demand defrost. However the 2nd quote from the Bryant dealer is worthy of consideration. The AS Gold 17 is a nice system. Again, I would not want more than a 15 KW heat strip and would insist that it be staged. What about new lineset and media cabinet? With the AS, you would want the 824 thermostat model, with the Bryant the ubiquitous Evolution controller.

Since it appears you probably will go with a 4 ton system, ductwork should be inspected both supplies and returns to make certain it can handle additional CFMs. Any hot/cold spots in your home should be looked at for improvement.

IMO

Thanks. The lineset is a PITA to access, so everyone is flushing it.

AmStd will install a staged 20kW heat package in, I think, 5kW increments. I'll check. The thermostat is the acont824. We discussed a 6" media filter, but it's not on the quote.

Bryant dealer is using the evolution smart sensor, SYSTXBBUID01D. They have no indication of the heat package. Price wise they're good, but they didn't spend time looking at the house which makes me a bit uneasy. They ballparked it. No details on the media filter either.

I like the Trane/AmStd dealers better, but carrier's HSPF numbers look enticing. It looks like I'll be evaluating folks on how they rate my ductwork.

Thanks for your input!

You should check on existing lineset size and manufacturer's recommendation on both AS and Bryant quote.

IMO

Thanks I will.

The Trane dealers both checked before submitting their proposals. I know because they both took the time to explain it. I just wish they weren't so much more expensive.

I find trane and carrier to be overpriced. In most cases you can find a contractor to install a flagship Armstrong or lennox for a lot less, all really nice equipemtn though..