How Much Does It Cost to Install Central Air?

Table Of Content

• DIY HVAC Installation vs Hiring a Pro
• $6,000 – $12,000 AC unit + ductwork installation cost
• Central AC Installation Costs by Size – Tons and BTUs
• Hidden Costs in Your Estimate
• What size air conditioner do I need?
• TV Mount Installation Cost Factors and Considerations (2024 Guide)
• Air conditioner prices by SEER rating

One ton of cooling capacity equals 12,000 British Thermal Units (BTU). One ton of air conditioning cools 450 to 600 square feet on average, depending on the home's layout, insulation, and local climate. The installation cost of your air conditioner, furnace, or heat pump will depend on the type you choose. Before calling your professional HVAC installation company, determine which type of system fits in your budget.

DIY HVAC Installation vs Hiring a Pro

If you want to get a sense of how big of a central air unit your house will need, it is possible to get a rough estimate on your own. Next, look at the chart below, and find the appropriate zone as well as the square footage of your house. A pro will have a comprehensive, professionally designed HVAC calculator that can do a complete cooling load calculation. He will come in for an in-house estimate and tell you exactly what size central AC you need. If you are looking for the most accurate size calculation for a central air system, the best course of action is to get free estimates from licensed HVAC installers.

$6,000 – $12,000 AC unit + ductwork installation cost

Your contractor will provide you with the documentation needed for your taxes. Super high-energy air conditioners use the latest technology to pinch pennies on power — but it comes at a cost. Models with the best SEER ratings are usually variable-speed and include special features such as thermal expansion valves for high-efficiency operation when the temperature is hot.

Central AC Installation Costs by Size – Tons and BTUs

Overall, it’s a small price for a homeowner to pay to ensure the safe installation of a long-term benefit for comfortable living. A packaged HVAC system is the best option for a new build or for a home with an aging furnace that will soon require replacement. The price of an AC unit does not necessarily reflect the total quality. Some of the best air conditioner brands may have the same parts as other brands, but they have a history of product longevity or quality service that bumps up their price. The best AC installation companies in a homeowner’s area can share the features and benefits of brands that work best in that region. Some of the best-known brands and their average prices are shown in the following table.

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Hidden Costs in Your Estimate

The cost of a permit as well as potential fines vary by location. Materials and labor for a new system aren’t the only cost factors. If you select a Central Heat Pump system, the SEER rating will change to 16 SEER. However, if you select 14 SEER or lower, the system type will change to standard Central AC. First, because most homes, unless they are located in a region where it’s never below + degrees F, will not need a unit with such high efficiency.

What size air conditioner do I need?

Basic groceries like a load of bread or a half gallon of milk have average costs of $3.99 and $2.56 respectively, which are pretty close to the price throughout California. It’s also possible to find inexpensive apartments in Los Angeles, underneath the living index you’d expect to pay. In areas like Greater Wilshire and Crenshaw, one-bedroom apartments average less than $2,000. Both communities are also seeing a decrease in rents over last year. Estimated monthly costs for housing put Playa Vista and Brentwood at the top.

Choosing the right size air conditioner is essential because it affects both comfort and efficiency. Units that are too small won’t cool sufficiently, and models that are too big will cycle too often — resulting in poor dehumidification and high utility bills. When an AC unit grows noisy, that usually means it has outlasted its prime or that it has a ductwork problem. Noises may result from ductwork that is not large enough to handle the square footage of the house or from an inner coil that has worn out. Constantly finding dust around the house is another indicator that there is leaking ductwork. A phrase that many homeowners dread hearing is “asbestos removal,” but if asbestos fibers are found, then it’s best to get them removed as quickly and safely as possible.

A SEER rating of 14 or 15 – the minimum requirements allowed by the U.S. Department of Energy – are considered highly efficient and can potentially save you thousands of dollars over electing to purchase a higher-SEER-rated unit. The monthly energy savings isn’t enough to recoup the cost of buying a higher-efficiency central air conditioner over the course of the system’s lifespan. The efficiency of a central air conditioner is measured by its Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the unit is, which will lower your monthly energy bills.

They operate by forcing hot air into your home’s ducts after heating it with the fire from a gas-fueled furnace. Ductwork replacement costs $1,400 to $5,600, while installing new ductwork costs $2,400 to $6,600. Most ducts need work when replacing HVAC systems more than 15 years old or when upgrading to bigger or higher-efficiency units. HVAC replacement costs $5,000 to $11,000, including a new furnace and AC unit. Installing a new HVAC system with ductwork costs $7,000 to $16,000.

In fact, you can have homes that are identical in size, but still call for completely different size units. This means that your house requires a central unit of 4 to 4.5 tons. Overall, a room by room cooling load calculation is more accurate than a whole house one. It is recommended to use this method if you are planning to replace the ductwork in addition to the AC unit.

Lennox may be a good choice if you need to mount your unit near a bedroom or home office. The ability to cool and heat your home at maximum efficiency will depends on how well insulated your home is in addition to the size of your home. As you might expect, a 3,000 square foot home will need a much larger AC unit than a 1,500 square foot home, which will impact installation costs. However, older windows and insulation can mean your unit needs to be larger, too.

A portable unit is freestanding and uses a hose to vent hot air outside through a window, wall, ceiling, or door. What keeps this number slightly above the average is the summer. Warmish weather year-round means heating bills are never high but come summertime, expect to keep your air conditioning blasting. Reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit at the peak of the hot season.

It could be $2,215 to $5,325 in labor for most air conditioning systems. Yes, central AC adds value to most homes, particularly in hot climates. With rising energy costs, an energy-efficient AC may add even more value to a home in a hot climate. The amount of BTUs you need for your home is partially calculated by the square footage. This is the rate at which your air conditioner can cool the air in one hour.

When you are spending this much money you want to make sure that the job will be done correctly, and will last for many years. It is possible to get a unit with a very high SEER Rating like (24 SEER is the highest). Some HVAC contractors may push you into getting one of these extra high efficiency units, however this may not be advisable. 2) Running a new lineset in existing homes may be problematic, due to the specific construction of your home. For example – in my home, lineset and electric wire are installed in a crawl space that has no access at all.

If you are not sure about whether or not your ducts are in good working order, ask the installer to inspect them. If there is poor insulation/efficiency in your home, its best to estimate higher tonnage. In the example above, you would estimate a 4 ton unit for a poorly insulated 2,200 sq. In general, you can roughly add $400-$700 for each additional ton, as the units go up in size. Anything bigger, requires a commercial roof-top AC, which are in most situations not suitable for residential use.

You may also be interested in seeing the top furnace brands as well. BTUs, British Thermal Units, are the measure of heating capacity of an HVAC system. BTUs are preferred unit sizes when purchasing HVAC heating systems in particular. Since a central air conditioner can provide both heating and cooling for your home, it is good to understand the sizes for both the functionalities. Also called a mini-split, these cooling systems are excellent for homes without ductwork. A mini-split unit is mounted on the wall in each room you want cooled and then connected to a compressor outside your home.