. I was very pleasantly surprised by the first estimate I got on central air. It wasn't nearly as much as the single quote I got over a decade ago which scared me off from seriously considering it...until now.
The extreme humidity is not good for my mother's art, and that's what truly spurred me to move forward with central air, even though I'm not working much.
So he spent over an hour here, answering my questions, measuring and looking outside to determine where the compressor would go.
I ruled out the new ductless units because while they are more energy efficient, it would require more wiring to all go to the single outdoor unit, and my ceilings are not at all high so the units would kind of dominate the rooms and be more noticeable, I think. I would need 4 of them, 2 on each floor.
So going with a conventional Carrier system and 16 SEER, which I think is pretty good efficiency, it would cost just $5,200 and they throw in the first year's maintenance, which runs about $175, for free.
I would feel confident they could do a good job but I do have one other place coming out tomorrow, so I can compare at least the two. I might also like to get a third estimate.
I'm excited. The thought of living in air conditioned comfort and not sweltering during the worst parts of July/August. It gets so humid in this house that i have gotten mildew on wood and leather furniture. I would not run it often as I dislike super cold indoor temps anyway, but I would run it just enough to dry out the indoor air and be comfortable.
The one remaining issue would be how to deal with my family room, which was a later addition over the garage that is not served by the existing oil furnace duct work.
So I might have to keep using my current portable AC just for that room, I guess. He said while it's really hard to say how much the AC would add to my electric bills, he said it would be at least $100 a month if I ran the system continuously (which I wouldn't). Maybe it would be more, who knows. But if it was an extra $200 for the months of July and August, I think that would be decent and cover most of the bad summer heat.
Cooling thoughts...
February 2nd, 2017 at 07:20 pm
February 2nd, 2017 at 08:50 pm 1486068654
February 2nd, 2017 at 08:54 pm 1486068883
I remembered after he left there was a $300 coupon on their website for new A/C installs. I'm not positive they'd let me have that in addition to the $200 discount for paying in cash/check, but if they did, I'm feeling now i would go with them.
I do just h ave one more guy coming tomorrow and then I'll decide.
February 2nd, 2017 at 09:30 pm 1486071049
February 2nd, 2017 at 09:35 pm 1486071307
February 2nd, 2017 at 11:31 pm 1486078267
February 2nd, 2017 at 11:46 pm 1486079194
February 2nd, 2017 at 11:53 pm 1486079604
Heat Pump Carrier 25HPA536A003
Cooling Coil Carrier CNPVP4221ATA
Oil Furnace Carrier 58VMR105
February 3rd, 2017 at 02:34 am 1486089276
February 3rd, 2017 at 09:06 pm 1486156001
February 3rd, 2017 at 11:20 pm 1486164040
I did buy an air cleaner for the bedroom but i never noticed it helped much. I also bought a vacuum with a HEPA filter and even changed over to dust-free cat litter for a while, but none of these seems to have helped. He's now on meds but I'm not crazy about keeping him on them.
Joe, no, I hadn't considered a heat pump. I can't say I'm familiar (at all) with the technology/product or how well it might perform in my climate zone, but I have read they are more prone to problems and maintenance issues compared to the AC. I have a top line furnace, albeit 20 years old, but it has a lifetime warranty. I'd rather not add to my costs by replacing it and I'm probably in too deep with the AC already... thank you for the suggestion just the same.
In the reading I've done, Carrier and Lennox seem like the top 2, although I've heard Trane is good too.