Hair today, gone tomorrow

One hundred and ten degrees.

ONE. ONE. ZERO.

Seriously.

I awoke on yesterday morn thinking I'd been somehow transported to the surface of Mercury.  Surely it couldn't be this warm in a St. Louis June...

but it was and the air conditioner installers called in sick.

Drastic times call for drastic measures, or so I though.  So I made a bold move, grabbed the clippers, and proceeded to shave off all my dang hair - every bit of it.

It felt glorious.

Now, with the benefit of hindsight and a properly cooled home, I've come to regret my hasty decision.

See, bald heads look good on brawny men with bulging muscles and tree-trunk necks.  This I am not.  I'm more like the proverbial 98 pound weakling (or rather today's version, the 150 pound weakling) in those Atlas advertisements.

Manly bald

vs

Skinny bald

source: Free Image Archives

So I look like I've got some sort of wasting disease, but my house is a chilly 80 degrees and right now that's all that matters.

Big boy decision time

I tried opening windows, moving in a few box fans, and sitting around in my undies but I just can't beat the heat, folks.  The time to replace my ancient (26 year old) air conditioner and furnace is upon us.

I've checked around town and gotten a few estimates but, as a new homeowner, know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about HVAC units.  

So here they are:

Bid #1 - $4519
Carrier 24ABB3 (Comfort Series) 13 SEER A/C 
Carrier 58STA (Comfort 80 Series) 80% Single-stage Furnace
with a CNPVPB617 coil

or upgrade to the following for a total of $6385 ($920 for a/c, $946 for furnace)

Carrier 24ANB6 (Infinity Series) 16 SEER A/C
Carrier 58CVA (Infinity 80 Series) 80% Variable Two-stage Furnace
both with a CNPVP3617ATA Cased Vertical Tin-Plated N-Coil
with a CX34 coil

Bid #2 - $3790
Lennox 13ACX (Merit Series) 13 SEER A/C
Lennox ML180 (Merit Series) 80% Single-stage Furnace

or upgrade to the following for a total of $5590 ($300 for a/c, $1500 for furnace)

Lennox 14ACX (Merit Series) 14 SEER A/C
Lennox SL280V (Signature Series) 80% Variable Two-stage Furnace


Missouri has a temperate climate, but we do get the odd extreme temperature.  I'm also, as you all know, a spendthrift who would rather open a window or throw on a sweater than pay increased utility bills.  Funds are tight, so costs (short and long-term) are definitely a concern.

Any of you all out there have any advice, inclinations, or experiences?  Is choosing the 80% efficiency, which every installer recommended, a bad idea? Is the upgrade to a two-stage variable speed furnace worth it? Are there any other models that I should consider that would better fit my needs? 

As always, I'm full of questions.

I apologize for the boring subject matter of today's post.  Putting on the big boy pants isn't fun, but sometimes it can't be avoided.  In the interest of others out there looking to do the same, I promise to post pictures and a write-up detailing my experience once the project is finished.