HVAC Installation, Replacement, Repair Cost (updated 2020)

An HVAC system ensures that your home is properly heated, ventilated, and air-conditioned, thereby enabling you to live in a comfortable environment – one that vents away stale air, and introduces fresh air from outside. On average, the cost of installing a new HVAC system is somewhere between $6,820 and $12,350, which includes a new central conditioner, new ductwork, and a new gas furnace. On the other hand, replacing such a system, without the ductwork costs, costs $4,820 to $9,350. But this depends on the size of your home of course, as well as the grade and brand of the equipment chosen. Ductwork alone, depending on the length, costs $2,000 to 3,000 to install, and when you decide to upgrade the humidifier, air cleaner, or zoning system, the price will increase by about $2,000 to $4,000. Let’s break these costs down for easier understanding:

HVAC installation costs
So, HVAC installation can be divided into three packages:

• The change-out – it includes a new heating system and a new air conditioner installation. It costs between $4,820 and $9,350, and a day to complete the job. Remember, you replace the main components of the entire system without the ductwork, so you should get the change-out only when the ductwork is in good condition.  
• The full installation – It includes all the HVAC equipment as well as the ductwork. Its costs ranges from $6,820 to $12,350. The whole installation process takes about 4 days, and the labor will consume about $3,000. Whenever you are replacing your HVAC system, you need to ensure that the ductwork is replaced as well. This is especially so if the ductwork has been in existence as long as the system has, in the sense that if the system has been worn out, then it’s highly likely that the ductwork is in poor condition as well.
• The full install – includes additional features like a zoning system. When you include additional features in the installation, the cost goes up to about $17,000, and it takes about a week to be complete. The zoning system installation alone costs about $2,300 to $3,500.

Remember that the installation cost may vary depending on the size of your house as well as the brand as the efficiency rating of your new unit.  

HVAC replacement costs
As we mentioned above, the average price for replacing an HVAC system, including a new furnace and an AC unit, is around $4,820 and $9,350, and when the ductwork is included, it goes up from $6,820 to around $12,350, depending on the size of your home, the length of the ductwork as well as the brand of your HVAC system. But let’s ask ourselves, what if the problem is just in one section of the system, do you really need to replace the entire system? The answer is no! You can repair or replace each part individually, and the costs for doing so can be broken down as follows:

• Ductwork replacement cost – on average, your ductwork can cost you $35 to $55 per linear foot to replace. This price includes all the materials as well as the installation. So, to find out how much you will be paying for replacing your ductwork, determine the length of the ductwork required, and then multiply by price per linear feet. For a typical single-family home, you find it requiring 30 to 90 linear feet of ductwork, which ranges somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000. It only takes approximately 3 days to install the ductwork. And whoever you hire to install the duct should be skilled and experience enough to understand how the work should proceed. He/she should be able to match the airflow from the HVAC unit and then seal it properly to avoid any kind of leaking.
• AC replacement cost – when it comes to retrofitting an existing forced-air furnace, it costs about $3,350 to $5,910. And if it is a new central air conditioner, expect to spend around $1,740. If you have separate cold air and heating, then you only need to replace your AC unit, but if the furnace is in poor condition, then you might need to replace both systems with one system; it is more cost-effective.
• Furnace replacement – a new furnace replacement is priced around $2,150 to $5,900, where a majority of the homeowners pay around $3,100. Before installing the furnace, the technician first inspects the ductwork to see whether it can hold up the furnace installation in terms of size and insulation capabilities.
• Components replacements
  • Thermostat – this is a device that sets and controls the desired temperature. Replacing your thermostat generally costs between $90 and $120 – where a basic thermostat ranges between $20 and $40 and a wifi-enabled one goes for $100-$250.  
  • Capacitor – it stores the electric charge that’s required to start the system. The replacement of a capacitor is somewhere between $100 and $400.
  • Circuit board – acts as the central nervous system of the entire HVAC system, and its replacement price ranges from $120 to $ 600.
  • Condensing fan motor lines – they carry the refrigerant from coil to compressor. The fan is priced around $400-$500.
  • Evaporator coil – this is the section that absorbs all the heat from your home. The coil costs around $710.
  • Compressor – it is like a pump to your air conditioner, and a new one can go up to $1000.

System repair costs
Now that we have talked about replacing or installing an HVAC system, how about we take a look at the cost of repairing the system, in cases where it doesn’t need to be replaced? So, across the United States, the average cost for minor repairs of the HVAC system ranges between $50 and $150. It all depends on the company you choose to perform the repairs. This price only goes up if there is a need to replace any of the components.
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Installation or replacement cost factors

• The brand and grade of the components required.
• The scope and size of the construction
• The possibility of the ductwork being needed
• The complexity of the installation, which includes things like how the working environment really was.
• The length of the ductwork needed.
• The quality and age of your home’s constructions