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Heating & Air Conditioning

Average cost of an a/c and new furnace

13 years ago

Just curious if anybody has an idea of what an install should roughly be for a new air conditioner and furnace? I have gotten a couple quotes already and they seem a little high. I live in denver and the installition will be for an 1100 sq ft townhome. Does the time of year make a difference on price? The townhome doesn't have a/c now and the furnace is aged. Any help would be great. Thanks

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Comments (3)

tigerdunes
13 years ago
blackdiamond

what size and eff is existing furnace? your biggest challenge may be finding one with correct size for a small footprint like yours. also where is your furnace located? you need a side exit from a crawlspace/basement to take a high eff condensing type furnace. I assume from your location that heating is more important than cooling. what is your electric rate? is townhouse an interior unit or outside unit.

lots of questions. sorry.

I have always thought the spring and fall were the best times to purchase new HVAC-certainly not in the dead of winter or an emergency/breakdown situation.

pricing can be all over the place and depends on market/competitive forces at work in your area. you can pay just about whatever you want to pay. keep in mind there is alot of HVAC junk out in the marketplace and I've always believed that you normally get what you pay for. I would want to take advantage of the fed govt tax credit that is scheduled to expire end of year.

IMO
randy_r
13 years ago
You might want to take a look at some of the estimates posted on this site to get an idea. I and many others have posted our estimates here for feedback.

Delaware just enacted a rebate for both the furnace and a/c. Some manufacturers (ie:Carrier/Bryant) have extended their spring rebates through August. And then there is the Fed Tax Credit (up to $1500) that is available.

Tiger is right that the best time is usually spring or fall. Demand is less and they need to keep their technicians/installers busy and there is less demand on the equipment so they are more likely to discount the price or have rebates. Rebates in our area normally start around September.

I am just a homeowner but was where you were not long ago and have been researching it. This is a great site to find things out.

The starting point though is to have an estimate done and then start asking specific questions. You want at least three estimates before you are done, but it is good to have an idea what your equipment needs are before you get them. You will want to know whether you want low end, middle or top end equipment. If you want to take advantage of the tax credit you will likely need at least a upper middle to top end furnace. The furnace will qualify you for the credit if it meets certain energy efficiency criteria.

But for starters, just have someone come in and ask them to give you their best opinion on what you need. Most will determine the route that they feel give you the best value.
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Oh, no way, a failure by you, someone who's helping folks in your spare time?! No way! (I hope you were joking.) By "not a single person mentioned", I meant like installers when they came to give estimates, not anyone here. No trouble, it's all a learning experience. Yes, I had a media cabinet installed, but it was a Honeywell. I couldn't convince my installer to get the official Ruud cabinet. I wouldn't even call the condensate issue a failure necessarily by my installer, because he is right that my sump pump should work in freezing weather. Just these furnaces still aren't common in my area, so I'm surprised there aren't more words of caution out there. (In fact, my emergency handyman who came out that night cause I thought something had burst -- services rental properties as his full-time job -- turned to me and said "I haven't seen this before but your furnace is discharging water.") My installer is considering a condensate pump and there's a slight issue where the outdoor temp isn't being read. But overall, I'm super happy with my 96% Ruud and EcoNet thermostat. The thermostat tells me whether it's running high or low stage, I've been told I'm spending too much time with it. I can't thank everyone here enough. In the end, I was able to find a great HVAC team. It's been quite the adventure. I'll post pictures soon. The duct work is a masterpiece, everything was turned 90 degrees because otherwise code required I create a service opening in the wall.
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lvelez714_gmail_com
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I am having a 2-1/2 ton a/c outside and inside unit replaced and installed... old one being removed and new one installed. Cud someone pls give me an idea of what a fair or average cost would be per hour for the installer's fee. He is licensed and certified. tku

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