May have to replace furnace and A/C. Help!

[Elgin526]

We were planning on doing this in the spring but DH doesn't feel too confident about the furnance making it through the winter. He saw an ad in the paper about a complete heating and a/c system for $3100 and 0% financing for 5 years (which we would do since we are paying off high interest credit cards, no sence in turning down free use of someone else's money), which is half the price we were quoted by another company last spring. I told DH to call them and set up a consultation apointment.

I've never bought anything like this before. What kind of questions should I ask, and what kind of research should I be doing? I don't want to hire this company and have them hand me a bill for double the cost because "well ma'am, we ran in to trouble and..." or even worse "that quote didn't include instaltion, delivery etc." and I also don't want some low end piece of junk that I have to replace again in 5 years. I'm willing to spend the money if I know I'm getting quality.

Any and all advice is both welcome and appreciated!

[bjl584]

I've always done this sort of work myself, but I would suggest that you get all your price quotes and etc. in writing well before anyone starts to do any sort of work. Trane is a good name. You may want to go to Home Depot or some place like that and talk to a few people. Salesmen or contractors. One thing that I've found is that contractors LOVE to talk about what they do for a living. Just approach some people and start talking. While you're there you may want to buy a book on the subject. Actually, their website has a lot of the info that you may need. You may also want to check out websites for the DIY network or HGTV. Or you can just do a general Google search on the subject. You'll want to research the BTU's on the furnace to make sure that it is enough for your house. It depends how many square feet your house is. I'm guessing that you have gas heat with forced air (duct work)? Anything new is going to be very efficient. You're heating bills should go down. Information is your best weapon. As soon as people realize that you know what you're talking about, they will be a lot less inclined to try and pull one over on you. Good luck!

[Saving in So Cal]

I would recommend you go to your local energy company's website and see if there are any rebates first. If there are, the energy company will usually specify the brands and sometimes even the authorized dealers. This will help narrow your list of possibilities.

I would also recommend going to your library and looking for a Consumer Reports article on this topic. It should help you determine the pertinent questions to ask.

For what it's worth, when we replaced ours about six years ago, my husband did the research and decided on a Rheem with 80% energy efficiency. We have not had any problems with it.

[Elgin526]

Yes, gas furnace with forced air. 1300 sqft, 1 1/2 stories (if that makes a differance). I'll check out those websites and see if I can find a book on the subject, too.

And thanks for the sugestion to look at my utility's website and see if they have rebates or other special programs/deals or what-have-you.

[Ima saver]

I will be trueful, that seems to cheap. I am no expert on heat/a/c units but I have payed for a whole lot of them in spec houses. I just looked up the bill. The last 1200 sq. foot house that we built had a total bill of $5100. Of couse, that included putting in the duct work, but it was only one story.
It sounds like a good price, I would get the quote in writing and make sure they write down what it includes.

[bjl584]

That price sounded about right for the furnace. Being that all of the duct work is already in place, it's just a matter of removing the old unit and installing the new one. Actually, it wouldn't be that hard to do that job yourself. All that needs to be hooked up is the duct work to the furnace, the gas line, and the electric. You'd only need a couple people to man handle the furnace. You could save a lot of money that way. But, if you decide to have it done by a pro defenitely get that quote in writing.

[creditcardfree]

I think that price may be about right. We have a 1500 sq ft split entry home. I think we paid $3400 for a new a/c, 2 stage 80% efficient furnace and a humidifier about two years ago. It is a RUUD system and we've been very happy with it.

The Trane models were more expensive when we looked at them. They are probably great...but cost the extra money.

Just get the quote in writing and don't pay until the job is complete and you'll be fine. Oh, doesn't hurt to check the Better Business Bureau either.

[sakigt]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

I will be trueful, that seems to cheap. I am no expert on heat/a/c units but I have payed for a whole lot of them in spec houses. I just looked up the bill. The last 1200 sq. foot house that we built had a total bill of $5100. Of couse, that included putting in the duct work, but it was only one story.
It sounds like a good price, I would get the quote in writing and make sure they write down what it includes.

I thought the same thing.

I have a friend who works in the a/c business and he said just a month ago that an estimate written 6 months ago has already increased by at least 30% now.

I would inquire about upgrading the unit they will be installing and still get the 0% intrest deal. No use in spending such a large amount of money on a bobo brand unit. Especially since they should last quite a while...

[Ima saver]

The brand we use is Lennox. Our a/c guy said that the units had increased quite a bit in price this year.