Gary

For cold climates, I do like the full modulating furnaces that ramp up and down according to demand. However, The Lennox mdl quoted only ramps up not down. Because of that I would select the Carrier over the Lennox HVAC.

What size is your home? What size system are you replacing? Any hot/cold spots in your home? Ductwork system has been inspected?

Post back.

IMO

Home is about 2,000 sqft. The system is the same size as being replaced - heat and A/C.

Does the Carrier ramp up and down given it is three-stage?

The home is three floors. The third floor is one bedroom that does get warm if the system fan is not on always.

You you see any problems with the Lennox?

We did consider the heat pump/AC option, but lived with a new heat pump in another home and really like the feel of the gas heat compapared to the heat pump.

Gary

How are the insulation qualities of your home?

I think both dealers may be oversizing you.

IMO

I have the same Carrier equipment except the furnaces are 60K BTU and the AC condensers are 2 and 3 ton.

I don't have any experience with Lennox so I can't do a comparison. I am very pleased with my Carrier equipment. The equipment is quiet and keeps the house comfortable in summer and winter. If properly sized and installed I am confident you will be pleased.

The Infinity controller will usuall start the furnace in the low stage when coming out of a set back condition and stay there before moving to a higher stage. However if the setback is four or more degrees, then it will go into the high stage immediately.

Are you getting a 4 inch media filter? Have you asked about the Carrier 10 year parts and labor warranty? Are you getting the Carrier rebate? The rebates in my area start in mid-September. The rebate for what you have listed is normally $1000.

I am a Trane dealer so I have virtually no bias on this selection and I would choose the Carrier. If there is one thing my service techs hate and my service manager hate it is working with Lennox. Parts are higher priced than anybody else, they are not fun to repair and personally my service techs have had better experiences with Carrier. This is all assuming both companies are equal as I would select a Great Lennox Installer over a Crappy Carrier installer.

Have to agree with Sky with Carrier over Lennox.

Was an equipment decision ever made.

IMO

Carrier all the way. You can check out the brand comparison on "www.hvacandwater.com" for more detail, but in any kind of head-to-head test, Carrier is going to come out ahead of Lennox for a similar product. I would say Trane and Carrier are about the best you can get, followed by Rheem/Ruud and York. Lennox is no better than third tier.

Here is a link that might be useful: HVAC and Water Site - Great Info on Brands

I disagree that "Lennox is no better than third tier." Can you provide any technical explanation for this statement? Lennox makes durable equipment, like other top manufacturers such as Carrier, Trane, Rheem/Ruud. Not sure how they're harder to work on than any other comparable residential system. Lennox is one of the top HVAC manufacturers, especially when you're talking about packaged commercial rooftop equipment.

With regards to the original post, I think you'll be happy with both systems -- all personal bias aside. I too would lean toward the Carrier system for the Infinity control, not because Lennox is a lower quality system (simply not true). You'll see Carrier systems last longer than Lennox systems, and there are plenty of Lennox systems than last longer than Carrier systems. It boils down to the quality of the installation, as SkyHeating mentioned. You mention that both dealers are highly rated.