BUDGET BUSTER: Need new A/C unit (central air)

[Disneefun]

Get several estimates. Ours ranged from $3500 for a brand I'd never heard of to $5500 for Trane. We went with Trane, but another company did it for about $4500, so prices can vary pretty widely.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

Get several estimates and make a decision about what quality you want to get before you buy.

We replaced 2 full units in 2010/11, including all the ductwork (shoddy old ductwork with no insulation). The 15 SEER Carrier units we chose were about $1000-1200 more expensive than the York brand the installer also used. We went with the Carriers, b/c of their excellent reputation.

Our electric bills dove into the basement. We live in a subdivision with a very high RECC provider (about 40% more than the provider for the rest of the county - wish we knew that before we bought this house). Our electric bills are consistently lower than everyone else in the subdivision, by a good margin. I actually set the heat higher and the A/C lower than we did with the original (7 yo) units, and our bills are consistently $100-150 lower than they were before. This is a combination of additional insulation, the new ducts, the new units, and CFL/LED bulbs, but it is a real savings that will pay for the replacement cost of the units in about 8 yrs. And b/c they are Carrier, I expect they will last 15-20 yrs.

Oh, the cost: basement / 1st floor unit including new ductwork, adding additional ducts for finished basement, and auxilliary outside air return $8900, attic unit for 2nd floor, including new ductwork $6700. The math for 8 yrs factors in a 30% rate increase that is not included in my monthly savings based on original bills.

 

[tar heel]

At least call a couple other places. The small local company that declared our downstairs combo unit dead last fall wanted about $5,500 for a Trane. The big regional company that advertises all the time wanted over $7,000. The relatively small company that did the HVAC in our house when it was built came in a little under $5,000. We went with the lowest bid.

We still have our upstairs a/c with a small freon leak. We've had it filled at the beginning of the season for 5-6 years. Freon is also something you want to shop around for price as that also varies wildly. We paid almost $500 for the freon and the service call this year, but we could have paid a couple hundred more at a different company. While $500 is a lot, it's about a 1/10 of the cost of a new unit. We may go that direction next year. This year we were just five months out from the other replacement and I was in the middle of a $4,400 dental experience -- freon was definitely what we needed to do.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

We got ours replaced this past fall. It was an expensive bullet to bite, but we did it. We used our usual folks, went with the best model they had for a house our size. We know and trust our regular A/C guys, and their price was what we've read is standard for our area.

One thing the AC guys told us to keep in our minds is the warranty. They have one cheaper model that the builders like to use that has a 5 year warranty. For $600 more, we got one with a 20 year warranty and I think they had one in between that had a 10 or 15 year warranty.

Our electric bill has come down a bit, maybe $50 to $100 a month over our old 27 year old unit (would have to check with DH on that one - he pays that bill). (I gotta say, the old AC did its duty. Our house was custom built back in the 80's and they didn't scrimp.)

 

[puppawuppa]

If purchasing a new unit, make sure the company is licensed and insured. Check with your local utility company, you might qualify for an energy efficient rebate depending on the HVAC unit that you chose, The company will tell you which models qualify. Also preventative maintenance is very important to keep unit running as long and as efficient as possible. Make sure you do your homework.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Besides the actual price of the unit, make sure you compare warranties. My sister is price-shopping for one and some of the companies have 10-yr parts AND labor warranties, some are 5 years or just 2. She likes the long warranty and is willing to pay a little extra to get it.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Be sure that you are not paying nearly half as much for a short term fix rather than a long term solution. If your home is 15 year old, and it has the original heat and air system, you are pretty typical. We just had our system to go out last month and we had several people come and look at our situation (free estimates) and all recommended to replace our entire system. Fixing the old system was expensive and we choose to replace with a new more efficient system with the hopes of saving quite a bit on our electrical bill. Our cost was about 7600.00. May not be the solution for you, but worth checking out.

Going one step further, we replaced our 18 year old furnace and AC last fall, using a great program here in NJ from the gas company. (system was still working). All to make the house more energy efficient. They added insulation, replaced water heater, and the new HVAC has a heat pump and the furnace is 96% efficient. Insulated duct work, revented the dryer and bathroom fans. Cost? $10,000 paid interest free on our gas bill each month, I think it is $80. An additional $5000 is a grant, not to be repaid. Makes the house energy star rated or something. The house is more comfortable, bills are down too. So look into your local gas or electric co.

 

[peyjax]

I am still trying to figure out how the guy that came this week quoted me 17K for house that is under 10 year old??

He also said that price was only good while he was there. If he sent someone else out the price would go up.

 

[Hootiss]

I buy AC units all day long for my job. I will pm you my contact company, they are in Tampa and have a great website. They will ship anywhere. Once you see their website you will freak out what Retail AC companies charge.

 

[holycow]

Boy Peyjax, that sounds like what my mom when through!

Her air is 30 yrs. old! Yes, you heard that right.

Went out last summer while I was there. Had a tech come out and quote her
13000. !!! Holysmokes.

She called another company. The tech said oh, you just need a new part.
Very inexpensive! Still works great.

We are also in Calif. which doesn't need air like a lot of you all do.

Good luck!

 

[mafibisha]

OP here.

Anyone familiar with, or have any experience with One Hour Heating And A/C?

Its nationwide so wondered if anyone ever used them?

 

[okeydokey]

I buy AC units all day long for my job. I will pm you my contact company, they are in Tampa and have a great website. They will ship anywhere. Once you see their website you will freak out what Retail AC companies charge.

I would think it would be hard to find a company that would install the unit purchased elsewhere?

We are looking for a new unit today too.