You fail to give a detailed list and scope of work involved in adding AC. If this is just a 3 ton outside AC condenser with matching inside evap coil and new lineset, then I agree that the pricing is high. Access is good? What kind of heat do you have? Furnace, brand, age, size, model?

Keep shopping.

IMO

That does seem extremely high for just an AC addition but you need to give more details on the scope and equipment.

Get more estimates - it's not uncommon to get 5 or 6 to be comfortable with the local rates.

Not much to say about the details of the installation. Just a 3 ton outside AC condenser on a pad with matching inside evap coil and new lineset. Access is excellent, nobody would even need to get into a crawlspace or attic or up on a roof. Furnace is a Coleman, 3 years old. Ducts are already in place. They do need to run a 35 amp line from the breaker box about 60 linear feet away, and add an exterior 120 VAC outllet. All the work would be done either in the garage or right outside the garage. None of the lines need to be hidden. I'm looking at totally average vanilla HVAC brands and models, e.g. don't need anything fancier than the totally average vanilla Coleman furnace that's already there. Seems like a pretty average job.

To be clear, when I referred to online rates from Porch and the like, I wasn't talking about estimates I got from them. I'm talking about their published statistics on costs based on data they have collected from people who have had similar work done in the same geographic area. You don't need a ton of data points to get a pretty good estimate of an average, so unless they are just making up numbers, it seems like an average installation of average difficulty of an average 3-ton air conditioner into a house with existing ductwork is costing people about $5000 in this area. That's why I'm puzzled about getting quotes that are double that.

I did get one quote for $6K based solely on written information I provided, but it's not firm because the estimator has not yet seen the house. The house *is* a nice new house, substantially above average for the immediate area, if that has anything to do with it...

I would want a matched system meaning furnace, AC condenser, and Evap coil. You should be aware that Coleman, York, Luxaire are sister companies all part of the Johnson Controls parent company. I would get a York and Luxaire dealer involved in the quoting process. Pricing can vary but if as described, I think a price should be no higher than 6 K.

IMO

"wonder if you are getting the neighborhood reverse discount. there should be a law against that."

I think I know what you mean but others may not!

SirSpamalot - keep looking.

Unfortunately you have to consider the source which in this case is porch. They exist mostly for selling ads. This is how porch makes their money. Price is subjective in anything sold on line.

I will say this, the Coleman model 3-ton Coleman CC7 LX you are getting quotes on is 17 SEER equipment, so that higher SEER rating will command a higher price. Minimum efficiency for southern states is 14 SEER and the Seattle area could be 13 SEER.

This is probably the difference in what you're seeing in price.

The Coleman CC7 LX is a 3 ton single stage AC condenser. The product data sheet states the efficiency is "up to 17 SEER", but who knows what is the rating is with a mismatched system. You typically don't see a 17 SEER rating for a single stage condenser.

At best this is a middle range condenser. It would be hard to justify a $9000 installation cost, but maybe this is the going rate for the area.

These prices would make sense if you were having the furnace replaced also but not for just an add-on AC. Like I said, get more bids.