Well after a month, we finally have central heat today! The unit was a bit cranky after the install (shutting down to over-pressure due to a bit too much refrigerant from the factory) but all is well now.
We went with a 3 Ton Heat Pump with equivalent Air Handler with 15 KW Electric Heat backup that ended up costing $8000 - much better than the other 2 quotes that were quite stratospheric.
What is really cool is this super duper touchscreen Venstar T-Stat T-5800 that tops the Consumer Report ratings. It's like having a small computer on the wall. If you are looking for a new T-stat, check out this one:
http://www.venstar.com/Thermostats/ColorTouch/TAM
