HVAC cost

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by jerryaldini

Alright all you guys are making me feel much better about this, thank you! Just got a better quote from a just as reputable company with a very straightforward salesman.

12.2k if I do the one stage furnace instead of two stage, and give up the variable speed fan motor.

14.5 with those two upgrades. Given that until 4 years ago I lived for 17 years in the mountains with wood stove heat and no AC, I'm thinking I won't miss those "luxuries", but let me know if I'm really missing out and should invest the 2,300. Thanks again!

For my place, the biggest advantage of the variable speed motor is that you can set it way low and just have the fan running all the time without costing a fortune (I estimate it costs me around $8/month). I've got major hot/cold spots in our master bedroom on the upper floor, and running the fan all the time helps to even things out a bit. If you've otherwise been pretty comfortable with a simple one-stage system, you can definitely live without the upgrade.

[jerryaldini]

Originally Posted by DaFace

For my place, the biggest advantage of the variable speed motor is that you can set it way low and just have the fan running all the time without costing a fortune (I estimate it costs me around $8/month). I've got major hot/cold spots in our master bedroom on the upper floor, and running the fan all the time helps to even things out a bit. If you've otherwise been pretty comfortable with a simple one-stage system, you can definitely live without the upgrade.

Ah I'm on one level, can see where that would matter more with two. Thanks!

[RedRaider56]

Originally Posted by jerryaldini

Alright all you guys are making me feel much better about this, thank you! Just got a better quote from a just as reputable company with a very straightforward salesman.

12.2k if I do the one stage furnace instead of two stage, and give up the variable speed fan motor.

14.5 with those two upgrades. Given that until 4 years ago I lived for 17 years in the mountains with wood stove heat and no AC, I'm thinking I won't miss those "luxuries", but let me know if I'm really missing out and should invest the 2,300. Thanks again!

On the biggest HVAC unit I replaced, it had the variable speed motor. One advantage to it over the old system was how much quieter it is. As another poster had said, when it is running on the lowest speed, I can't hear the thing running.

On the second system, for our upstairs, I went with the 2 speed setup. Even when the kids are home from school visiting and the AC seems to be on all the time, it stays on low speed the majority of the time.

With the combination of the efficiency of the new systems and the new fan setups, my AC bills dropped over a $100 a month at the peak summer months heat last year.

[ScareCrowe]

Originally Posted by RedRaider56

On the biggest HVAC unit I replaced, it had the variable speed motor. One advantage to it over the old system was how much quieter it is. As another poster had said, when it is running on the lowest speed, I can't hear the thing running.

On the second system, for our upstairs, I went with the 2 speed setup. Even when the kids are home from school visiting and the AC seems to be on all the time, it stays on low speed the majority of the time.

With the combination of the efficiency of the new systems and the new fan setups, my AC bills dropped over a $100 a month at the peak summer months heat last year.

My biggest selling point on the VS fans is noise reduction & humidity control. (by moving air slower across the coil it removes more humidity per pass) Energy savings are nice but they don't generally equal a lot as the blower doesn't use a ton of electricity, and you also have to consider you now have a very expensive blower motor in there & if it goes out any savings you made will go into the repair.

The noise reduction due to running in low speed is super nice, but you also have to consider that on extreme temperature days it's going to have to run at a higher speed so it will still make close to the same noise at that point.