Check around but kansas is in a climate where heat pumps aren't that effective cause it gets to cold most of the year. Also some utility companies offer rebates for going with a higher seer then you have to do the math to see if it is worth it. Have your hvac bidders do a heat loss calculation to size your heating and a/c. They should measure room and window sizes, etc. and go through some complicated calculations if they are doing it right. I follow the above web site and you will see carrier, trane, and lennox mentioned a lot but it really boils down to the installation and how the contractor stands behind warranties. I am changing out sill plates on one end of a house before adding a deck and the fairly new a/c duct system in the house is all pulling apart cause they just taped the joints without using any screws to hold them together.