18 SEER for Virginia?

[roamerr]

I must have one of the units FireDog mentioned. My last home had a Goodman that was installed in 2005 by 2008 it had cost me approx $300 in labor for repairs. Ive had Carrier, TRane and now American Standard and repairs have not been needed. I personally will not buy another Goodman. They cost less for a reason in my opinion.

 

[meburdick]

I recently had a Trane system put in, I went with the lowest SEER which was 13. According to their information, the difference in power consumption between 13 SEER and 14 SEER was 5%. I just got my first electric bill since using my new system and it only went up about 30 dollars (2.5 ton unit, the didn't have AC before and its been really hot).

5% percent of 30 is only 1.50 a month in savings, so I figured i would never get the payback.

This is the general sort of guidance that I've gotten... You *think* you want the highest SEER because it's the most efficient, but the actual difference is very small. When it's all said and done, the extra money you dish out for the higher efficiency never really comes back to you.

Call your electric company before you purchase. Ask what programs they may have in place for rebates on certain SEER levels and what you need to do to qualify.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

If your baseboard heat is electric, I'd give serious thought to going with a heat pump. Oh, the SEER rating is for cooling only, there is another std used for heating efficiency. Heat pump can still put out a decent amount of heat down to about 30F. At that temp you will need some kind of aux heat source. Humidity plays a big part on low temp performance. With a lot of humidity/rain/snow the coils will freeze up and require defrosting more often which will up the operating cost. If not for the humidity, I could almost rely on the HP down to nearly 20F.

I replaced the heating system in our house last yr, was electric ceiling heat. Did a LOT of reading including frequenting a HVAC forum. Recall Goodman not having a very good rep on that site. Went for a fairly high end system and payback figured out to be ~8 yrs. Not too bad as over half the cost was for the air handler and duct system install.

With no current forced air ducting the cost is going to be a lot more but there is a big payback on the electric bill when replacing radiant electric heat. The avg efficiency of the HP over the straight electric heat is 3X. Our first month's electric bill dropped 40%. Not bad considering this is an all electric house. I have a well and a larger shop in addition.

Oh, think my system has a seer rating of 16 and I forget what the heating system is rated at.

 

[kenmac]

14 to 15 seer. When they went to 410A most if not all all units went to scroll. In a goodman, most of the parts are the same as all the other brands. I can install any brand in my home that I want. I have a goodman. Goodman used to be a lower priced unit. Not so much anymore. It will be the installer that makes the difference no matter which brand you choose. You can buy the most expensive brand on the market. If it's not installed correctly. It will live a short life

 

[forgeblast]

We were looking at the fujitsu halcyon series. We needed three bedrooms to have ac so we were going to get the minisplit/heat pump combo. It was a 19.2 seer. The fujitsu have a 5 year parts 7 year compressor warranty.

 

[tulenutn2o]

Goodman is as good as any other IMO, I have been in HVAC for 20 years. the so called Pros are thinking back to the janitrol days when they prob were not so good.
check with your utility and see if they offer a rebate. the ones that do usually have a minimum seer rating to qualify for it. 15 seer around this area.

Goodman does have a good warranty now days but I would avoid the online stores, have seen some distributors who would not warranty that equipment and some of it is usually last years models.

Same here. I've been in the biz since 1990 and the older Janitrol stuff was somewhat problematic. However, beware of online purchases as Goodman's policy is no warranty on units purchased from anyone other than an authorized distributor/dealer. So unless these online stores have a stated warranty do not buy. One thing that Goodman has been doing, like everyone else, is sourcing electric/electronics from China---- I have noticed alot more frequent failures of capacitors-especially. I am not a big fan of complicated electronics from China.

 

[tulenutn2o]

Couldn't have said it any better.

 

[uglyboywith11fingers]

My AC unit is Goodman, installed new in 1990 with an Olsen gas furnace. Had a couple minor probs with the furnace, but (touch wood) the AC is still going strong... and sure need it these days.
I recall the HVAC guy telling me back in 1990 that Goodman was made in Texas, and if they work good in the hot south, they should be good for Canada.

Pete

 

[tulenutn2o]

Yes, they are from Texas. Parts are sourced from everywhere. Good units, but prices are getting up there. Used to be 1/2 to 2/3 less.......Now pretty close to others. I have been installing them since 1990 but am wary of the newer high tech stuff. Electrical storms/surges= ouch! Can get costly.

 

[kenmac]

I have noticed alot more frequent failures of capacitors-especially. I am not a big fan of complicated electronics from China.

Nothing we can do about that as all the brands are going cheap on the parts. Had a meeting with my wholesale supplier last week about caps. from china. They said they could buy better caps. but most of the service companies don't want to pay the xtra $ for them. I would pay a little more & get better parts. I guess service companies would rather just keep charging their customers to replace the low quality china parts. Make $ off the low quality parts & the service call. I just don't like doing business that way