we're due for one too--we will purchase based on what our local guy sells and can easily repair. I know that's not what you asked, but in a small town like mine, this is the best way to shop imo. as it is now, when a part breaks we have to spend hundreds on an obsolete part that they have to source from wherever they can find one, which are not their usual channels.

May be helpful to give an idea of what size unit you are looking at. Is this just for a single room or a larger area?

We installed heat pumps in our house several years ago and the cooling aspect of them has been the biggest advantage to use. Allowed us to stop using any window models and now have whole house cooling.

We are in Southern Maine so perhaps a bit different needs than someone in a hotter climate but this has worked well for us and should (knock on wood) have a decent lifetime and could be serviif needed.

Great idea; sorry I didn't think of including that info.

I live in the Southern US, whole house unit - single story house.

Not good idea to go BIFL. Newer models are way quieter and more energy efficient. Better to go cheap and change each 4-6 years. Some companies in EU offer 5 y. warranty.

One unit of high class Daikin cost around 2X middle class or 3x cheap ACs. I got 4x Daikin on my mountain house. The first one is bought 2008 and still work flawlessly. One of the 3 newer ones bought 2017 died last year. The compressor change costed like 1 cheap AC.

For my apartment in the city I bought middle class toshiba with 5 y. warranty this summer because the central heating runs on russian gas. I don't expect to last more then 6-7 years. Having single units is a way more energy efficient compared with 1 big AC unit, unless you combine it with water to water heat pump. In this case check the LG models.

Great information, great advice. Thank you for taking the time to type it all out.

Southern US = Heat pump or bust

Reliability ratings from consumer reports Five brands got a top rating of Excellent for satisfaction: Trane, American Standard, Bryant, Lennox, and Carrier. Armstrong and Ducane earned Very Good satisfaction ratings, as did Rheem and Ruud. The other 12 brands earned a rating of Good (average) for owner satisfaction. (None received a Fair or Poor rating.)

Heat pumps are ideal for your location, as your temperatures are generally within ideal operational ranges 99%+ of the time. Do check to see which credits and subsidies you might be able to take advantage of too - many utility companies offer rebates, and your state may offer tax benefits. There are federal tax benefits as well, see if you may qualify. Good luck and stay cool!

For your area heat pump for sure, should be some really great incentives also. Additionally, most units are mostly the same, universal parts in a proprietary box, a few differences but nothing crazy. The best way to get a long life out of the unit is to keep it clean and serviced regularly. On the furnace/air handler side use a really good filter, not only for indoor air quality but because dust in the system causes it to wear out faster.Aprilaire would be an industry leader there.

Thanks a ton, heat pump it is.

Heat pump for the win, thanks for taking the time to respond.

Alright, heat pump is the way. Thanks for responding. I appreciate the information on heating as well.

We have had good experiences with Qlima heat pump. We paid 400 euro for it two years ago and had it running almost constantly since then (including a few weeks below minus 20 Celsius). It's paid for itself several times over in saved power.

A relative of mine in the industry swears by Trane still.

Ductless min-split heating/AC units.

The more universal parts and less complex, the more reliable and easy to maintain they’ll be. That will limit you to the cheaper and least efficient models though. Stay away from the spine-fine Trane and American Standard units, they are harder to clean and fail more often than traditional fins.

Models rated for use near the sea coast are going to be the most corrosion resistant.

Also, the installation is more important than the equipment brand. The best equipment installed by a hack will be terrible, average equipment installed by a seasoned pro will be great.

Agreed. Newer models are more efficient AND the refrigerants are considerably less harmful to the environment

People here seem to have a bifl ethos for absolutely everything but it shouldn't apply to absolutely everything imo

Not sure if you're looking for a window unit, but the new U shaped units are fantastic. A few companies sell them but I think they are all the same. So so quiet. Certainly not a bifl. A little more expensive, but so worth it.

I spent entirely too much time researching HVAC brands in preparation for replacing our units this year.

Spent a lot of time over at r/HVAC and r/hvacadvice.

The biggest takeaway I got was that all the major brands are pretty darn similar at the end of the day, and that 80% of it is the quality of the install by the company, and the warranty. Also what is popular in your area matters, because you need parts to be available quickly if there is ever an issue. One area may do a lot more of a certain brand than another part of the country.

Lennox in particular is sort of seen as the Mercedes of HVAC. Lots of bells and whistles, but expensive and maybe not as reliable/harder to repair. Not inherently bad just a different niche.

Also for anything above ~15 SEER efficiency, make sure you look up a SEER calculator to assess whether you will ever see a return on the extra investment. A lot of times you won't. Life expectancy is ~10-15 years these days. The more efficient units are arguably less reliable, as they are more complex, as well.

For the other bells and whistles such as 2-stage/variable stage, know that you are paying extra for potentially better comfort, not so much any long term savings.

Wow, thanks a ton of good info here. Hope it helps others as well.

The thing about window A/C units is that, in my experience, they end up getting disgusting before they end up breaking. If not stored properly they can develop mold and mildew inside the styrofoam "cooler" internals, and that's simply impossible to truly clean because it's not metal or plastic. While wasteful, it's just not worth the respiratory health risk to keep an old machine that can develop some really dangerous molds and spread all over your home.

Lennox never fails, also if you can find a company that only deals with the brand you buy would be great for in the future when you will need repairs/cleaning

Yeah finding a good service company is the key. I've cycled through a lot of bad ones already. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks for the installation tip; that makes a ton of sense.

I was not, should have specified that originally. But this is really good information that I'll file away and I am sure will help others.

The thing with air conditioners is that they are becoming more and more efficient. A kenwood AC we installed last year is more than twice as efficient as a Mitsubishi AC we have had since 2005. On paper and in practice. I think that it is always smart to upgrade your ACs after every decade or so.

for sure, and not to sure about the durability of them but I’ve been wanting to try out mini split systems you should check them out they might be better with a 1 story like yours