HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning)

1. HVAC Talk discussion board: http://www.hvac-talk.com/vbb/
2. California State License Board http://www.cslb.ca.gov/
3. Better Business Bureau (http://search.bbb.org/)

   	Oakland: http://www.oakland.bbb.org/
   	Fresno: http://www.fresno.bbb.org/

4. Energy star requirements http://www.energystar.gov/. Check their rebate locator to check for energy company rebates.
5. JD Powers HVAC study
6. Consumers Digest Annual Buyer's Guide online coming soon.
7. Furnace compare: http://www.furnacecompare.com/
8. FurnaceWeb: http://www.furnaceweb.com/
9. Toolbase Services HVAC sizing practice
10. ACCA Manual J method of sizing an residential HVAC system is the commonly accepted procedure.
11. Read up on the R-410a refrigerant at http://www.410a.com/

12. The Essentials Of Working With R-410A http://www.bacharach-training.com/norm/410.htm (local copy)

13. Best Practices Guide for residential HVAC retrofits http://ducts.lbl.gov/HVACRetrofitguide.html
14. EPA Ozone Depletion Rules & Regulations. R22 phaseout vs rollout of R410a  (Energy savings calculator)

Number	1	2	3
Name	First Choice Heating & Cooling	H H & C	P A S, Inc.
Contact	760 Bluff Drive Los Banos, CA  93635 408-472-0510 209-826-5577
CA License #	840368	Yes	Yes
BBB	Report. Not a member and has an unsatisfactory rating and 3 complaints since 1/1/2005 as of 10/6/2006	Member	Member
Description of Services	A Service Master contractor in good standing.	4+ stars	5 stars

MFG	URL	Installers	Model	Description	Credits / Rebates
Amana (Owned by Goodman)	http://www.amana-hac.com/	1
American Standard	http://www.americanstandardair.com/	1		One installer said that this mfg replacement parts only come from the mfg and therefore cost more than those units that use say Honeywell parts.
Carrier	http://www.residential.carrier.com/	1		Carrier class action lawsuit on 90% efficiency furnaces.
Goodman	http://www.goodmanmfg.com/	1
Lennox	http://www.lennox.com/	1
Payne	http://www.payne.com/	1
Ruud	http://www.ruudac.com/	1
Trane (Owned by American Standard)	http://www.trane.com/	1		One installer said that this mfg replacement parts only come from the mfg and therefore cost more than those units that use say Honeywell parts.
York	http://www.york.com/	1

MFG	URL	Installers	Model	Description	Credits / Rebates
Amana (Owned by Goodman)	http://www.amana-hac.com/	1
American Standard	http://www.americanstandardair.com/	1		One installer said that this mfg replacement parts only come from the mfg and therefore cost more than those units that use say Honeywell parts.
Carrier	http://www.carrier.com/	1
Goodman	http://www.goodmanmfg.com/	1
Lennox	http://www.lennox.com/	1
Payne	http://www.payne.com/	1
Ruud	http://www.ruudac.com/	1
Trane  (Owned by American Standard)	http://www.trane.com/	1		One installer said that this mfg replacement parts only come from the mfg and therefore cost more than those units that use say Honeywell parts.
York	http://www.york.com/	1

	Contemporary 2150 square feet, 2 story residence, with lots of large windows on all but the north side of the house. Wood siding, asphalt 3-tab shingle roof. Built in 1991. High vaulted ceilings. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. Attached 2-car garage.
	Forced air heating works well although 2nd floor heats and remains warmer than the 1st floor. Furnace was installed in 1991 and is a down draft model located in the attached garage.
	Air Conditioning does not work well on either floor on hot days. 2nd floor temperature never reaches comfortable cooling on hot days. Very high electric bills when running the air conditioner. Condenser is approximately 13-15 years old.
	The thermostat is a Hunter 44550 7-day programmable unit with 4 settings per day. It has predictive capability that automatically adjusts to the energy performance of the home. Includes energy and filter usage timers along with a reminder to replace filters.
	HVAC ducts are in the crawl space under the house and in the walls. None are believed to be in the insulated attic. There is one return register in the ceiling on the 1st floor and on a wall near the ceiling in the 2nd floor hallway.
	2 large windows (8ft x 8ft) and sliding glass door (8ftx8ft) have been replaced with double pane, Low-E, vinyl.
	Looking to have a licensed, qualified HVAC contractor diagnose why the air conditioner doesn't cool the home on hot days including diagnosing duct performance. The diagnoses should include HVAC load sizing for the home. If new furnace and/or condenser is the recommended solution, the estimate must include high efficiency, energy star rated equipment.

	HVAC load analysis supporting size and choice of equipment.
	Duct leakage analysis.
	Stainless steel furnace heat exchangers.
	Variable speed blower.
	Multi-stage furnace and compressor. Advantages to multi-stage compressor: No immediate blast of air when unit first comes on. Cooling coils have time to cool down and that reduces humidity. More efficient filtration.
	R-410a refrigerant.
	Dual zone dampers upstairs/downstairs with 2 thermostats
	Electronic ionizing air cleaner. Filters are vacuumed to clean.
	High quiet ratings on furnace and compressor.
	80% efficient furnace.
	13 SEER minimum A/C.

Description	Scenario 1a	Scenario 1b	Scenario 1c	Scenario 2	Scenario 3a	Scenario 3b
Furnace 80% 4-ton down flow:	$1500
Coil - 4 ton (requires taking out and re-installing the furnace to access the coil. Included in price of furnace if furnace is replaced at the same time):	$500
A/C Condenser 4-ton 13 SEER:	$2000
Check all air ducts (included)	$0				Inspect all accessible ducts for integrity. Salesman verbally said that any ducts that required metal taping would be taped. Any larger work would be extra cost.
Install filter grills in both (2) return air registers (included):	$0
Reuse existing electrical, pipes, thermostat (- $50):	$0
Furnace MFG Rebate				If the entire system is installed by 6/11/07	If the entire system is installed by __/__/07, the total rebate is $900.00. $414.00 discount if paid by check or cash.	If the entire system is installed by __/__/07, the total rebate is $900.00. $451 discount if paid by check or cash.
Equipment MFG Rebate				$1,200.00
PG&E Rebate				$250.00
Federal Rebate				$300.00
Total Cost:	$3500			$15,568.28	$14,185.98	$15,498.33
Down payment at order				$0
Final payment due at installation completion				$15,568.28
Alameda county permits				At actual cost.	Owner provided	Owner provided
Inspection				Owner provided	Owner provided	Owner provided
Includes labor	Yes			Yes	Yes
Includes materials	Yes			Yes	Yes Includes all sheetmetal, flex connectors, flex gas line, miscellanesou material & wiring necessary to connect to existing ductwork, flue pipe & utilities. Excludes overtime labor, new 220V wiring to condenser, condensate drywell pit, 110V GFCI service plug at condenser, existing code violations if any, permit & fees, new ductwork & city/county designations other than planned.	Same as 3a
Includes installation	Yes			Yes	Yes	Same as 3a
Include clean-up				Yes	Yes	Same as 3a.
Include removal of replaced equipment				Yes	Remove and recycle existing equipment. Reclaim refrigerant in accordance w/ EPA.	Same as 3a
Includes Filing MFG warranty
Equipment Warranty	Manufacturer			10 year parts and labor.
Installation Warranty	30 days			2 years
In-home consultation	10/6/06 Technician inspected the condenser and furnace. Looked around the house and indicated the condenser was probably sized for the square footage of the home but did not take into account the high vaulted ceilings. As a result it was too small based on the symptoms I indicated. He indicated the cooling temperature at the registers when the A/C is on should be in the 40's or 50's degrees °F rather than the 66 degrees °F I measured. No measurements or calculations were made while onsite. He said that they would have to remove the furnace to replace the coil if the condenser is replaced so it might be advantageous to replace the furnace at the same time. 10/11/06 The owner/salesman called to follow-up on the 10/6 in-home estimate. He provided a great deal more detail on their estimate. He explained a little more about how they arrived at the 4-ton capacity they spec'd for my home. He told me that the current system I have is 3.5 ton on the A/C and the furnace. He said that the A/C is probably under capacity because the furnace is only 3.5 ton and the previous owners probably didn't want to replace the furnace and settled on a 3.5 ton A/C as a compromise. He had me read him the model number and confirmed that it was a 3.5 ton condenser. When I told him that my decision process would be significantly shorter if they could provide a list of MFG and Models for me to select from rather than just the MFG's. He emailed me an itemized estimate showing everything included for the price as well as a list of 3 furnace/Condenser model sets to investigate and choose from. He said he could provide more if I needed them.			05/11/07 The salesman dropped about 30 minutes later however his office called to let me know he was stuck in traffic. He was a relatively new salesman but an experienced installer. On his first trip he went over the Trane product line, company, etc. He looked around the house and the backyard where the compressor is. He left because I had another appt. but returned later in the afternoon. During this trip he manually calculated a heat and cooling load for the house based on window measurements, room sq. ft. He did not measure the ceiling heights. His load calculations indicated a 4-ton furnace and compressor would do the job. He wrote up a detailed estimate including the equipment but only left me with the proposal. That did not include a total breakdown of all the rebates. I asked him to contact me as soon as possible with answers to the following questions confirmed by his boss: Double check load calc's taking into account the ceiling heights of 18' in the living room and 13' in the bedrooms. Check if the Alameda county code says  how much clearance is required from the compressor to the fence or property line. 5/15/2007 Salesman returned with a corrected and adjusted proposal incorporating all requested changes. The proposal was signed.	05/11/07 The salesman arrived on time with a briefcase, ladder, and laptop. He listened to the problems I was trying to solve, went over the Lennox product line that they sell. He visually inspected the compressor, furnace, and even the ductwork in the crawl space. He took digital photos of the furnace, compressor, and ductwork in the crawl space. He measured the room volumes with a laser device. He did not measure the window sizes or did he take any readings based on the side of the house (N, E, W, S). He entered his measurements into the laptop and printed a professional looking analysis of the heat and cooling load. He left copies with me. He wrote an estimate on the spot.
In-store consultation
Installer
Installer BBB complaints in last 36 months (complaints/resolved/consumer acknowledged)
Installer BBB complaints in the last year (complaints/resolved/consumer acknowledged)
Installer has California C-20 (HVAC) license	Yes
Installer sub-contracts installation services
Installer has appropriate bonds				Yes	Yes
Installer has appropriate liability insurance				Yes	Yes
ServiceMaster Rating				5 star	4.5 star
References provided	Yes. Through ServiceMaster.			Yes.	Yes
Installer impressions	The initial technician was professional, personable, and knowledgeable. He was careful to not soil the carpet by putting on the shoe covers I provided. I wish he had based his analysis of the problem based on some calculation of the sizing of the home, an examination of the air handling by at the registers, and the size of the windows, etc.
Furnace MFG & Model:	Amana or Goodman AMS80905CX	Carrier  58DLA048.	Trane TDE1B100A9451A	Trane XV90 TDY120R9V5V (local copy) Installer's Guide 18-CD20D3-20 (PDF) User's Information Guide 32-5022-12 (PDF) User's Information Guide 32-5035-04 (PDF) User's Information Guide ESX-V90 gas (PDF)	Lennox G60DFV-60C-110X	Lennox G61MPV-60C-111
Furnace SEER:
Furnace Energy Star Rated:				yes	yes
Furnace Efficiency AFUE (%):	80	80	80	92.5	80	95
Furnace Capacity (tons):	4	4	4	5	5	Same as 3a
Furnace BTUh:	72,000	44,000 - 154,000 BTUH	80,000	74,000 / 112,000	110,000	Same as 3a?
Furnace Stages:				2	2	Same as 3a
Furnace Motor Speed:		Single speed		variable speed	variable speed	Same as 3a
Furnace Coil:				Install new 5-ton cased coil w/ TXV valve.	Install new coil.	Same as 3a
Number and location of: air filters:				Install new Trane Clean Affects filtration system (local copy) User's Info Guide User's Info Guide 32-5038-03 Installation Instructions 18-HE53D1-3 Service Facts EAC-SF-4	Install new Aspen CC60D44210R-024(C) filtration system. Requires annual purchase of new filter directly from Lennox-only.	Same as 3a
Filter Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR):				1200	1900	Same as 3a
Furnace MFG Warranty:		5-year parts; 20-year warranty on "SuperS™" heat exchanger	Twenty-year limited warranty on heat exchanger. Five-year limited warranty on internal functional parts.	Trane warranty Lifetime limited on primary and secondary heat exchangers. 5 year on  internal functional parts (10 years if XLi condenser also installed).	Heat exchanger, 20 years. Parts, 5 years.	Same as 3a
Furnace Installer Warranty:				Trane warranty 10 year labor warranty.	Labor, 1 year	Same as 3a
Furnace Notes:	14 SEER Amana add 350.00	14 SEER Carrier add 600.00	All Trane equipment add $500.00. 14 SEER Trane  Add 925.00
System Thermostats:				Install 2 Trane Digital Comfort controls (local copy) 1 downstairs, 1 upstairs Owner's Guide 22-5207-01  69-1791 (PDF) Wiring and installation guide	Install 2 Lennox X4147 Elite Touch Screen 2H/2C thermostats.	Same as 3a
System Zones:				Install new dual zone automatic zone damper system. Install new Honeywell dual zone board w/ new automatic zone bypass dampers. Honeywell ARD20 Dampers (Installation Guide 68-0260-1) Honeywell EMM 3U dual zone panel (Installation Guide 68-0237)	Install Lennox 2-Zone system.	Same as 3a
System SEER:					17	16
System EER:					12.5	11.6
System AFUE:					80.0	95.0
System ARI#:					1003416	915272
System Tier:					2 (R)	2 (R)
Other:				Field braze, leak test, and charge system. Reconnect furnace to existing gas & drains. Tape, seal, and insulate all sheet metal at furnace. Install new 2" PVC flue vent from furnace to right side of house. Seal all house penetrations. Perform full system evaluation upon completion. Run new 7/8"  insulated copper line set from compressor to new Trane coil. Install new 50 AMP fused disconnect & 3/4" electrical whip at A/C. Install new ultralight A/C pad. Run all control wiring.	Install approximately 75' of refrigerant piping. Install condenser pad over existing concrete pad if possible. Otherwise install new pad. Install primary condensate drain. Install electrical disconnect with fuse. Install approximately 60' of new thermostat wire.	Same as 3a
A/C Compressor MFG & Models:	Amana or Goodman ASC130481A	Carrier 24ACR3048	Trane 2TTB3048B (Couldn't find the exact model. Only a 2TTB3048A)	Trane XL19i dual compressor 2TTZ9060A1000A (local copy Trane product page) acservicenow.com XL19i high efficiency article (local copy) Installers Guide 18-AC53D1-3 (PDF) Use and Care 22-5194-05 (PDF) Use and Care 22-5194-05 (PDF) Use and Care 22-5194-03-1603 EN (PDF) Product envelope	Lennox XC21-060-230 condenser	Same as 3a
A/C Compressor Size (HxWxD) (inches):				50x37x34 Should fit through front door.	47x35.5x39.5 Might require going through neighbors yard.
A/C Compressor Seer:	14 SEER models are.	13	13	19	17
A/C Compressor Capacity (tons):	4	4	4	5	5	5
A/C Compressor Energy Star Rated:	No	yes	No. 2TTR4048A is Energy Star rated.	yes	yes	yes
A/C Compressor BTUh:	46,000
A/C Compressor Noise (dB):	76	74	78	74	73	Same as 3a
A/C Compressor MFG Warranty:	10-Year Limited Warranty on compressors and outdoor coil. 10-Year Limited Warranty on internal functional parts.	10-year compressor limited warranty 5-year parts limited warranty	5-Year Limited Warranty on compressors and outdoor coil. 5-Year Limited Warranty on internal functional parts.	Trane warranty Compressor 10 years. Condenser parts: 10 years.	Compressor 10 years. Condenser parts: 10 years. Parts, 5 years. Labor 1 year. 1 year money back guarantee. Installation workmanship guarantee. "No Lemons" Guarantee.	Same as 3a
A/C Compressor Installer Warranty:
A/C Compressor Notes:	14 SEER Amana add 350.00	14 SEER Carrier add 600.00	All Trane equipment add $500.00. 14 SEER Trane  Add 925.00