New AC installation is one call away from a licensed local contractor. The call routes to a licensed pro in your area for an in-home sizing and a written quote — for a replacement or a first-time system.
A Manual J load calculation sets the tonnage — not a square-footage rule of thumb.
A new condenser and a matched coil, so you keep the efficiency you paid for.
You get a price before any work — decided in your home, not over the phone.
One call routes to a licensed local contractor. You describe the home and the system.
The pro sizes the system on-site with a load calculation — not a guess off the old badge.
You get an itemised, fixed price before any work — equipment, labour, permit, and warranty.
Removal, matched install, EPA-608 charge, a full test, permit inspection, warranty registered.
Enter your ZIP and we'll route your call to a licensed pro in your area for an in-home sizing and a written quote. Calling is free, 24/7.
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Four signals point to replacement over another repair: an AC past 15 years old, one still running on discontinued R-22 refrigerant, a repair quote that tops a third of a new unit's price, or weak cooling paired with climbing bills. Any single one of these usually means the money is better spent on a new system than on one more fix.
Central air conditioners last about 15 years. Past that, efficiency slips and a major repair rarely pays for itself.
Systems on the old R-22 refrigerant are costly to recharge — R-22 has not been produced since 2020, so a leak is an expensive refill on an old machine.
When a single fix approaches a third of replacement cost on an aging AC, the one-third rule points at a new system.
An aging compressor works harder for less cooling, and the summer electric bill shows it.
If the unit is newer and the fault is a single part, a repair is likely the better call — start at AC not cooling, or run the numbers on repair or replace before you commit to a new system.
A proper AC replacement is six jobs, not one: a load calculation, removal and disposal of the old system, a matched condenser and coil, the refrigerant line set, a compatible thermostat, then charging, testing and warranty registration. The suspiciously low quotes are usually low because they quietly skip one of these six.
| Step | What it is | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Load calculation | A Manual J sizing on the house, not a guess off the old unit's badge | 1Before the quote |
| Remove & dispose | The old condenser and indoor coil pulled and responsibly disposed of | 2Removal |
| Matched condenser + coil | A new outdoor condenser paired with a matched indoor evaporator coil | 3New system |
| Line set | A new refrigerant line set, or the existing one flushed and pressure-tested | 3New system |
| Thermostat | A compatible thermostat, wired and configured to the new system | 3New system |
| Charge, test, register | EPA-608 refrigerant charge, a full operation test, and warranty registration | 4Commissioning |
The most common way a quote comes in low is a new outdoor condenser bolted to your old indoor coil. It looks like a saving. It is not: an unmatched coil throttles the new condenser, and you lose much of the efficiency — and the SEER2 rating — you just paid for. If a quote is hundreds cheaper than the rest, ask what it leaves on the old system.
There are four common ways to cool a home — a central split system, a packaged unit, a ductless mini-split, or a heat pump that both heats and cools. Which one a contractor prices depends on your existing ductwork, the space you have for equipment, and whether the furnace is also near the end of its life.
The common setup — an outdoor condenser and an indoor coil on the furnace or air handler, cooling the whole home through existing ducts.
Condenser, coil, and blower in one outdoor cabinet. Used where indoor equipment space is tight, common on slab or rooftop homes.
Wall or ceiling heads fed by a small outdoor unit — no ductwork. Good for additions, older homes, or room-by-room control.
See ductless mini-split →A heat pump cools like an AC and heats too, replacing both units. Worth pricing if the furnace is also near end of life.
See heat pump instead →Get the size wrong and the efficiency rating stops mattering; get it right and SEER2 decides what you pay every summer. Size is the first decision, efficiency the second.
Correct tonnage comes from a Manual J load calculation, which accounts for the house — insulation, windows, orientation, air-sealing — not a square-footage shortcut off the old unit. Bigger is the expensive mistake: an oversized AC satisfies the thermostat fast, shuts off before it has pulled humidity from the air, and leaves the house cold and clammy while it short-cycles the compressor to an early death.
The math on what size AC do I need →SEER2 measures cooling delivered per watt across a season — higher is cheaper to run for the same cooling. Under the 2023 federal standard a new split-system AC must reach 13.4 SEER2 in the northern states and 14.3 in the South and Southwest; ENERGY STAR begins at 15.2, and premium equipment climbs past 20.
You buy efficiency once and pay for it every month either way.
New AC systems now ship with a new low-GWP refrigerant, R-454B — but that is a fact about buying new equipment, not a reason to replace the working system you already own.
Beginning in 2025 the industry moved new equipment off R-410A to R-454B, whose global-warming potential is roughly 78% lower. Any air conditioner you install now uses it. Two things follow, and the order matters.
Keep it. R-410A equipment stays legal to run and repair, and R-410A itself is still available to service existing systems — the phase-out applies to new manufacture, not to your machine. A working R-410A system does not need replacing because of the refrigerant change, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling.
The honest headline from the trade press is the opposite of the scare version: sizing and installation quality matter far more than which refrigerant is in the box. R-454B is mildly flammable (an A2L), so the installer needs to be current on the updated codes and leak-detection — one more reason to route to a licensed pro. The full timeline is on the refrigerant phase-out.
Enter your ZIP — we'll connect you to a licensed local contractor for an in-home load calculation and a written quote. The call is free, 24/7.
Licensed contractors serve . One call routes you to one for .
☏ Call (888) 810-2291Availability is subject to provider participation, location, technician availability, and demand.
A new central air conditioner runs roughly $6,958 to $13,418 installed on manufacturer figures, but real quotes that include ductwork, permits and labour commonly land at $10,000 to $17,000. The gap between the badge average and the number on your quote is the whole game — and four things move it.
Trane's 2026 guide puts a new central air conditioner at roughly $6,958 to $13,418 installed, with entry-level systems near $8,800 per American Standard. Those are equipment-led national averages. In practice, once ductwork, permits, electrical, and labour are in, real installed quotes commonly run $10,000 to $17,000, and a complex job goes beyond that. None of that is padding; it is the difference between a badge price and a finished install.
| What moves the number | Lower end | Higher end |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency (SEER2) | 14–15 SEER2, single-stage | 18–20+ SEER2, variable-speed |
| System type | Straight split swap | New ducts, packaged, or zoning |
| Size | 2–3 ton home | 4–5 ton, or oversized load |
| Site & electrical | Existing service is adequate | Panel upgrade, long line set, hard access |
The itemised breakdown is on new system cost, and the only figure that counts is the written quote — actual prices come from the contractor after they see the house.
A straight replacement is usually a one-day job, about four to eight hours, and it runs in four stages: arrival and protection, removing the old system, setting the new equipment, then charging, testing and registering it.
The crew protects floors and walls, confirms the plan, and shuts off power and refrigerant.
The old condenser and indoor coil come out; refrigerant is recovered to EPA rules, not vented.
The matched condenser and coil are set, the line set is run or flushed, and the thermostat is wired.
The system is vacuumed, charged, and run through a full operation test. Warranty is registered and the permit is closed at inspection.
Three things decided on install day quietly determine what the system is worth to you later: the manufacturer warranty (only valid if registered), the equipment-change permit and inspection, and any state or utility rebates tied to the efficiency tier you choose.
Manufacturers cover parts for about ten years — but only with registration, usually within 60–90 days. Labour is a separate warranty from the contractor, often one to two years. Ask what each covers.
Most areas require an equipment-change permit and an inspection. The contractor pulls it. An unpermitted install can surface when you sell the home, so a quote that skips it is a red flag, not a saving.
Central-AC tax credit — ended Dec 31, 2025. No longer applies.
State energy-office and local utility rebates, usually tied to higher-efficiency SEER2 equipment and varying by ZIP code. A local contractor knows which programs are active in your area — worth asking before you pick the efficiency tier. Timing helps too: the shoulder seasons, spring and fall, are quieter for installers than peak summer.
The price gap between two quotes usually hides in this checklist. A licensed installer does all six of the following; the low bid is low because it drops one or two of them.
Not sure a new system is the right call yet? Weigh it on repair or replace, or start a diagnosis at AC not cooling.
Calls route to licensed local contractors across the United States. Enter a ZIP in the coverage check above and we'll confirm the nearest routed pro; if your exact area isn't matched, the call still connects nationwide.
Same-day and 24/7 emergency services are subject to provider participation, location, technician availability, and demand. Availability is not guaranteed and may vary by market and appointment capacity.
A new central air conditioner runs roughly $6,958 to $13,418 installed, per Trane's 2026 figures, with entry-level systems near $8,800 per American Standard. Those are equipment-led averages; real installed quotes that include ductwork, permits, and labour often land higher — $10,000 to $17,000 is common, and complex jobs go beyond it. The full breakdown is on our new-system cost page, and the exact figure is a quote from the contractor after they see the house.
A straight replacement — a matched condenser and coil swapped into an existing, sound duct system — is usually a one-day job, about four to eight hours. Adding ductwork, moving equipment, or a packaged or zoned system can stretch it to two or three days. The contractor gives you the timeline with the written quote.
It is set by a Manual J load calculation, not by square footage alone — insulation, windows, orientation, and climate all factor in. Bigger is not better: an oversized AC short-cycles, never pulls humidity out of the air, and wears out faster. Our AC sizing guide shows how the math works.
SEER2 is the cooling-efficiency rating that replaced the older SEER measure under a more realistic test. A higher number means lower running cost for the same cooling. A more efficient unit costs more up front and less every summer to run.
Most manufacturers cover parts for ten years, but only if you register the unit — usually within 60 to 90 days of install, which the contractor should do for you. Labour is a separate warranty from the installing contractor, commonly one to two years, so ask what each covers before you sign.
The federal 25C tax credit for central air conditioners ended on December 31, 2025, so it no longer applies. What remains are state energy-office and local utility rebates, which are often tied to higher-efficiency SEER2 equipment and vary by ZIP code. A local contractor knows which programs are live in your area and how to file them.
Not always, but if both are near end of life it is usually cheaper to do them together, and it keeps the indoor coil and blower matched to the new condenser. A new condenser bolted to an old, undersized blower and coil gives back much of the efficiency you paid for.
The industry moved off R-410A to a low-GWP refrigerant, R-454B, for new equipment beginning in 2025. New systems ship with the new refrigerant. Existing R-410A systems are fine to keep and can still be serviced — R-410A remains available for repairs — so this is not a reason to replace a working system. It only matters when you are buying new. The full story is on our refrigerant phase-out page.
In most jurisdictions, yes — an equipment-change permit and an inspection. A licensed contractor pulls it as part of the job. A quote that skips the permit to look cheaper is a red flag, because an unpermitted install can surface when you sell the home.