I need to replace my heat pump- its apparently the original one from the house- which would make it 30 years old (I bought the house 7 years ago)

My options are a 16 SEER 2 stage or a 14 SEER 1 stage (Compressor stages, not regular plus emergency heat), I live in a townhouse (2 stories with finished basement- basement is my TV room) in Wilmington, DE- (mid-atlantic area)

Is it worth the extra $770 for the dual stage?

I need to replace my heat pump- its apparently the original one from the house- which would make it 30 years old (I bought the house 7 years ago)

My options are a 16 SEER 2 stage or a 14 SEER 1 stage (Compressor stages, not regular plus emergency heat), I live in a townhouse (2 stories with finished basement- basement is my TV room) in Wilmington, DE- (mid-atlantic area)

Is it worth the extra $770 for the dual stage?

The value will need to be tempered by a energy usage calculation program to see how long the recovery time will be for you to get back your 770.00 extra expense. Also note that a more complex machine will probably cost more to maintain over time and the big wake up all her is the newer units will not last near as long as your 30 year old unit.

The energy calculation should be able to be done by your contractor with the proper use of an available program for that purpose. If he is a knowledgeable contractor you should not have any problems obtaining the calculation from his company. As always read the item below and do what it says to protect yourself from flim flam artists.