trane versus lennox home HVAC systems

I live in the Chicago area. I have a 1911 home with a 1989 addition. The home has forced air heat. I would like to purchase new equipment, including a humidifier, air cleaner (electrostatic), air conditioner, and heater. I would prefer to purchase a premium system that will last, rather than a less expensive system that may fail after only a few years. My early research suggests that the two top suppliers (in terms of quality, and, I suppose not surprisingly, in terms of price too) are Lennox and Trane. Which should I buy?
What is the square footage of your home (including your 1989 addition)?
Hello from Google! Lennox and Trane do appear to be the top contenders for quality home HVAC; as you may have found, it is difficult to find comparative information about these expensive units. This is because companies which make these comparisons generally buy the items they%26#146;re comparing and run short- and long-term tests on them, but central air and heating systems are very expensive and to then test them under identical situations would be cost prohibitive. The Suburban Library Reference System in Illinois offers this article explaining more about this difficulty and offering some assistance: Evaluating Central Air Conditioners and Furnaces http://www.sls.lib.il.us/reference/por/features/98/heatcool.html That article points to several other resources to use to evaluate home HVAC systems, such as: Your Guide to Gas Furnaces http://www.trane.com/residential/library/HCI/guide_g.asp Your Guide to Cooling http://www.trane.com/residential/library/HCI/guide_c.asp Your initial research, which brings you to Trane and Lennox, is sound, and in 1993 Consumer Reports did rate Trane and Lennox as having the best repair records, according to: Products Available at Princeton Air http://www.princetonair.com/brandnam.html and a 1993 Usenet post corroborates that and says that Trane was rated above Lennox; that post is available at: http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en%26amp;selm=C8M655.Eqx%40wang.com Essentially, you are unlikely to go too far wrong with either of these manufacturers, and you would do best to find a reliable contractor who will get the work done on time and competently, and use whichever brand that contractor is most comfortable installing and servicing. Only an experienced HVAC contractor can make specific model recommendations for your home and location; you may be able to get competitive estimates from contractors in your area for each of the brands you are interested in. Thanks for using Google!
There was a request for clarification of the question, which I hadn%26#39;t had a chance to respond to before the answer came in. The house with the addition is about 2200 sq. Does this make any difference by manufacturer, or will it simply be relevant to the model type?
Hello, again. Both Lennox and Trane have systems for a house that size, which is the average size for a home in the United States, according to this website: Information Please:U.S. Home Size http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/5-15-01askeds.html Your house%26#146;s size and design (construction materials, windows and their placement, etc), as well as your requirements for efficiency and features, will affect which models are appropriate, and these are things a good contractor will work with you personally to determine. Hope that helps!