{Gritch} AC size, efficiency, cost

[Pat-inCO]

While I realize that there are many places in our nation that are in posterior deep
snow, there are also many others that do not remember snow. Thus my complaint.

{rant}
I have an older heat pump on my place. It is old enough (and therefore less efficient)
to look at replacing it. I have spent multiple hours this morning looking for cost and
related information on heat pumps (people with a lot of snow would not want one).

I have looked at a BUNCH of web pages and, to me, they seem to have several
common characteristics:

~ EXCESS bling:
They seem to think you and I will make our purchase decisions on how much worthless
"stuff" they throw at you. Such as side bar pop ups that say click here to . . . .
They then ask your feedback and do NOT let you tell them anything. They want your
approval only on those things they want you to see, and not for poorly presented crud.

~ NO PRICING:
With ALL of the pages I have reviewed/tried to view, not one has had a price. ALL say
"fill in this information and we will contact you". - - Horse feathers! I want to trim down
the number of sales people I have to deal with (and their calls). If I can weed out fifty
percent of the sellers for what ever reason I have, THAT is what I expect.

~ Poorly presented material:
To me they should mention things you need to consider and provide a link to a detailed
information page for that subject. Do ANY of them utilize your time efficiently? Can you
say (BLEEP) NO?! Every last one of them go into excruciating detail, in line, so you are
forced to skim the material (after you have read other's duplicate dissertations) and
hope you didn't miss any critical information. Were they to have said links, you can
easily, with one mouse click, review the information you need; and OMIT that part you
have already obtained. - - - They seem to think we are idiots. :roll:
Examples:
- Region heat/cool averages
- House square footage
- Insulation
- Window types/sizes
- SEER ratings
- Duct work sizing/routing

Department of redundancy department: The seem to think we are idiots.
{/rant}

That's my rant, and I'm sticking to it.
So there. :wink:

 

[olcop]

Well said---the salesmen will drive you nuts and they won't give a price either, they all want to visit and measure before they give a price,---Damn that!!

 

[Bob Wright]

I'm not even sure of what you are trying to say. But here is my experience:

I live in Memphis, Tennessee, temperatures here stay on the mild side, seldom exceeding 100 degrees in summer, seldom below 20 degrees in winter.

My house is very small and built on a conventional foundation, so having two gas fired floor furnaces is perfectly adequate for winter heating. We also use two window mounted air conditioners for summer cooling. This gives us two units for each season, which provides a back-up in case one is out of service.

Our floor furnaces have gas operated thermostats so when power outages occur we still are able to have heat. We can also cook, though the electronic ignition does not work, we can still light our kitchen stove with matches.

As to shopping for these appliances, I'd suggest to go to the store and examine them in person rather than relying on computer mumbo jumbo.

My experience.

Bob Wright

 

[coach]

I just recently replaced an older furnace and A/C and I don’t think there is any way around talking with salesmen. I went with some companies I considered reputable, then narrowed it down to a certain brand that happened to be the same brand I already had. Then it was a decision of which model based on efficiency, features and cost. The manufacturers don’t have any say on what an installer charges. Lots of little things along the way that effect pricing. In general it’s not much fun.

 

[Fox Mike]

Just wondering if you have anyone that services your heat pump and furnace. That is who I would speak to. My heat pump was inspected and a minor problem found. Repair and upgrade was about 1/4 the cost of a new unit.

 

[blume357]

Forget the internet for what you want... I would ask around and find one or two rather small companies that are recommended and have them come out and give you a price.... with the most important part that price is way down on the list. Quality service and knowledge and someone who does what they say they are going to do is what is important. A good HVAC person will know what you need and have the experience to tell you the best brand also.

I deal with Old 'gun toten' Geezers often and the secret is to listen and hear what they want and then figure out how to give it to them...
Maybe I should go into the training business.... seems many folks in the service business have a hard time understanding this....

 

[06ackley]

Well as a hvac svc guy I'd recommend finding a couple small companies come out and give you a quote. They can measure for.correct size and give you some different options and efficiency levels. Ask questions and get a couple quotes. Some companies are definitely on the high price side.

 

[Bull Barrel]

You can get a price on the net for a size and efficiency but that is all its good for. You need someone to come to your home and examine how it needs to be installed to be as efficient as possible. That includes all ducting and any exchangers, humidifiers and electrical needs.
Only then can you find out what it will cost.
Do research to educate yourself on HVAC so you aren't totally ignorant. And don't buy the smallest unit required. Get just a little more capacity to cover those maxheat/cool requirements such as a 100° day with a house full of guests and a busy kitchen or those -10 times.

 

[Kevin]

Since we’ve lived in Dallas, we have replace both our a/c units. The one for upstairs has a heat pump. They are supposed to be more efficient and since we don’t have a gas line on that part of the house, it had to be electric.

Unless you are going to install it yourself, in my humble opinion, the reputation of the company is more important than trying to save a few hundred dollars. You want a reputable company who will show up when they promise and be willing to stand behind their workmanship.

I’m sure you know this.

I only mention it because it just got me thinking about horror stories the neighbors tell me about shoddy contractors etc. it ends up costing them more in the end because they were trying to save a buck. This is happening right now to one of my neighbors who is having their bathroom remodeled.

 

[Mega Twin]

Have you checked with your power company?
We have an electric co-op,and their web sit has a lot of energy saving tips and advice.
Also,I don't know if it is the same in any state,but in Arkansas you no longer get the energy saving tax credit when you upgrade,but get a rebate on the unit,but you have to be sure and ask the seller for the info.

 

[ptypegreen]

While you can buy most everything for your car AC and get the price before hand, home units, including even small replacement parts for a bad relay, are nearly impossible unless you know the secret handshake. Very closed industry, like they have a golden goose they are hiding.

 

[Pat-inCO]

Just wondering if you have anyone that services your heat pump and furnace.

The guys that did the initial tune up (2018) had it working fine. Called them back
for a check up, when it seemed to not be doing the job properly in 2019. The guy
that came out must have been having a bad day. As he came in the door his
comment was "what do you THINK is wrong", and it then went to his telling me I
have the wrong size heat pump (even when it was working very well a year earlier),
that my duct work needed replacement (without even looking at it), and it went down
hill from there. - - - It cost me over $1,800.

I have NO interest in those guys coming back. The problem is that the crawl space
under my place is barely large enough for a person to get underneath. As such
several of the places around will not even look at it.

I just need to win the lotto and tear out all of what is here and replace it. First guess
to do that is about $300K(house and all); that's why the lotto. :roll: