Air Conditioning - Furnace purchase

While looking at various sites, I see the selection "airhandler" or "furnace" IS the furnace ONLY for heat and airhandler ONLY for a/c?

With A furnace, dont you just add the A-coil to have A/C? Kinda confusing. Shopping around but just want a whole A/C-Heat system???

A furnace is a heating equipement that either uses gas or oil to heat the home. Most furnace now days are ready for A/C or Heat Pump. A coil is added on top of the furnace.

An Air Handler is a box that had a fan and coil built in already. This is used for A/C only, or Heat Pump. There is no gas or oil burner it this. Most air handler is ready to add on an electric heat strips for heating needs.

Ok. Well I want a good a/c unit, maybe variable speed. In order to get a "good" a/c system, its only gonna be as good as my furnace?

Meaning, I cant buy a 78% Furnace w/ a 14 seer a/c? Your saying they go hand in hand?

You might go to
http://warmair.net and compare fuel cost for gas electric and oil to see what heat is best for you there.

No you can get what you want. its more in do you need better cold or better heat. You can get a 80% afue furnace with a V/S blower and put on it a 19 seer AC if you want
ED;)

For example. I live in midwest, gets plenty warm, not too cold. I want a great a/c system but dont need a "great" furnace. One that will get me buy on cold nights will work. everyone around here has gas. Thats what I want. Now, can I get say a 14 SEER "great" a/c unit and a "cheap" furnace? I see the two stage or VS blower motors, but would a cheap furnace have this feature? I click on links for high quality furnces and say low speed great for heat. Ok..what about when you call for a/c? Does this speed increase? :confused:

Dont know about the others .But Trane start out with a XV80 2 stage with the V/S blower.
You can get a XB 80 1 stage burner with a 3 or 4 speed blower in it for AC not the V/S motor.
The best AC at this time is go for the XL15i with a 15 seer . Stay with the R 22 freon now it will be made till 2030

ED;)

Ok...now Im getting somewhere. The guy that does my work pretty much uses RUUD. So Im basically looking for a furnace that has a blower used w/ an A/C unit? Meaning multiple speeds. Hi, lo. So some furnaces may ONLY use one speed, like low if its just heat? Does the furnace come with multiple speeds, and only one is hooked up if using just for heat?

A furnace can come with 3 or more speeds on the blower motor, Now when it is on heat it will run at one speed that its set for. Then when it calls for the AC a relay in the furnace will make the blower run higher or at the speed its set for to run with the AC.

ED;)

Ok ok understand. So to get the most out of your a/c a "good" furnace w/ a multi spped blower or variable speed blower will increase the efficiency your a/c. Surely you can have a 2 speed blower but..of coarse wont be as good as say a multi-speed, or VS.

Where in the midwest are you?

Variable speed furnace are becoming pretty popular due it's quietness, and saving on power bill.

how long are you planning on being in the home?

I am in Minnesota, I have the Trane XV90 (two stage variable sped furnace) with a Trane XR11 single stage A/C. Controling that is a Honeywell Vision Pro t-stat. I have the t-stat set up in two stage heating and cooling (I won't go into detail why I did that for a single stage cooling unless asked).

I never been more comfortable all winter all my life. Everyroom in the house is even, quiet cooling in the summer.