I would drop this dealer and get a local Carrier/Bryant dealers and a Trane/AmStd dealers involved.

IMO

Thanks Tiger- but WHY would you drop these dealers (There are two dealers here- quote one is one dealer, 2 & 3 are another dealer)....

I have never seen any pricing like 2 and 3.... 1 is low end HVAC...not a fan of Lennox period...where I come from dealers think a lot more of this brand than I do...

IMO

Hi Mike!

Thanks for all the good questions. For quote one, he based that on sq footage, and our belief that our furnace was slightly under powered. We do not think that going from 80 to 90 is unwarranted, and FWIW, each other person in has independently said we should go up a step. All have also agreed that the 3 ton AC was good. He provided a written quote with all the various info written out.

Quotes 2 and 3 are the same company. This quote was written out longhand on paper. It is a reputable company, who also works as the exclusive HVAC company for a national home improvement company (but not a Depot, if you get my drift!) So I would THINK they are legit (they came in a two-pack, one guy from the HVAC company, one from the NOT A DEPOT company). No, I did not ask for a 25 seer... I am SUPER happy with our current AC...

Just has a 4th company come in and quote. Liked them. They measured every room and every window. Measured every vent. (No one else has) Written quote. I have been warned this company is very high in quotes... SL280 Variable 80% (She said that for us, variable was the upgrade that would benefit us over the 80-95% upgrade) plus the AL16 AC all for 9300.

This last one seems like a real good system at a fair price... at least compared to what we have seen so far!

Agreed.

The Lennox game is expensive so unless you want to pay for it and you're absolutely sold on that extra efficiency, try getting a different perspective.

We serve the cooling dominated market of Houston, TX and from our perspective we personally don't install Lennox unless the customer absolutely has it made up in their mind that they are a Lennox only type of customer. One reason why is because Lennox is big about making proprietary parts that cost more and have to be ordered, especially on the higher end stuff, and we don't like leaving our customers hot when things break on the weekend because we have to order proprietary lennox-only parts.

I can't comment much on the 98% furnace stuff because customers here just don't run their heating systems like they do in other climates and so we have little need for 98% AFUE in gas furnaces. But I 2nd getting quotes with your local American Standard / Trane contractors, Rheem/Ruud contractors, or Carrier contractors and you'll once again receive a different cost-perspective on things. These manufacturers all make excellent equipment. Lennox equipment simply costs contractors more, so the price gets reflected in the bids your receiving. Try quotes from other contractors and do your research and compare manufacturer brands and check into the others and then make your decision.

This is a very interesting thread, thank you. We are in NE and I had just noticed Costco offering a 15% gift card from total purchase of Lennox units....we have two AC that I was thinking to replace for efficiency (they are about 15 years old now). So this has given me a lot to think about.

I don't like Lennox because of your experience with the first two contractors. Those prices are INSANE (even in New England)! Get estimates from a Rheem or Carrier dealer. I'm not a fan of Trane for the same reason (who else advertises on TV?).

I have owned a Lennox heat pump for 11 years and it's needed regular, expensive repairs. Other people have reported similar problems. Lennox used to have a "Customer Review" section on their Facebook page. They were getting so many bad reviews that they recently removed all customer reviews from their Lennox Facebook page. I used a quality contractor on the install and he no longer recommends Lennox and he was an elite level dealer back when I bought the unit. Do yourself a favor and don't buy a Lennox even though they offer those tempting gift cards at Costco.

Please tell me you are not attempting to buy your HVAC equipment from Sears! Run, don't walk away. That would be a big mistake in my opinion.

Are working with Lowes or Costco? There is no advantage working with a big box store or shopping club. You are paying a middle man who does not sell any of the equipment or supplies you are buying. You can see this in that two salespersons have to come to your house neither of which are skilled in the art of HVAC design and installation. That is more money out of your pocket and does not help in getting a good installation.

There are a lot of mixed opinions about Lennox. However everyone is in agreement most parts can only be bought from Lennox and that they are expensive and have long lead times.

If you really like Lennox then the strategy of getting multiple quotes from Lennox dealers will help you figure out what is a fair price. A contractor who takes measurements is a good sign. I recommend buying a 95%+ efficiency furnace. It makes sense when sense for your climate.

Why do you think your current was under powered? Was it able to maintain the temperature setting you wanted on the coldest nights of the year? If it did then it is not too small.

This talk about Lennox exclusive parts when all major manufacturers have exclusive or proprietary parts. Carrier is known for doing odd ball things, just do a little searching. Trane is king of proprietary high cost parts.

All major manufacturer's do it to one degree or another. In most cases you would have to go to an off brand (generic, unheard of brand) and even then... some parts will be proprietary to that brand or in some cases a myriad of brands in the case of IPC brands... which by the way is none other than Carrier itself.

Lennox probably does this as well with brands like Armstrong, Ducane.

This talk about only Lennox, is just trying to bash Lennox for something they ALL do. Personally I am no fan of Lennox (for mostly different reasons), but fair is fair. Why talk out of a corner of your mouth when you know better?

At the end of the day, all brands break. Most of this is directly related to installation of the equipment or the servicing there of... if serious problems occur before year 5 of operation. OR if you have problems out the gate it's not a hard conclusion as to why.

Lennox, premium pricing certainly not quality...do not purchase HVAC from big box stores...

IMO