I just received the quote for replacing my central air unit which is almost 30 years old now. $11k for a 5 ton Ruud system- A/C, furnace, the works including install. I don't know anything about the brand, but I'm about due to replace it any day now. My repair guy figures my unit will last a few more years, but at this age, it's liable to go at any time.
Cost of a new central air system
- Thread starter doublebase
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Whatever it is make sure to get a dual stage or inverter since that will save you a lot in a long run. Especially if you have humidity issues
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Make sure it's sized correctly. Ask to see manual J and D calculations. You don't give a fck what they mean you just want to make sure that it's done. The HVAC dudes will be forced to perform them and then justify via numbers why they are recommending what they are recommending. I bought a new built house and my AC is way oversized! An oversized AC will cycle too often thus preventing adequate dehumidification, wasting energy and also wearing itself out in the process. In the end nothing good comes of it being too big.
Just so you can relate how oversized it is. I can currently maintain my 4k sqft house at 65F. I tested it today and it did reach 65F and stayed at 65F. Meanwhile outside it's 105F and feels like 115F. AC are sized to 75F internal temp max during max heat and not 65F. As a result if I keep my AC at 75F then humidity shoots up to 73% and mold starts to grow.
Friends don't let friends purchase Lennar built houses.
Just so you can relate how oversized it is. I can currently maintain my 4k sqft house at 65F. I tested it today and it did reach 65F and stayed at 65F. Meanwhile outside it's 105F and feels like 115F. AC are sized to 75F internal temp max during max heat and not 65F. As a result if I keep my AC at 75F then humidity shoots up to 73% and mold starts to grow.
Friends don't let friends purchase Lennar built houses.
I did a Bosch heat pump system 2 years ago. With all the rebates etc it was 10k. Financing was at 0%. I have a 1 zone system for 2700sf Colonial. The heat portion works well for the fall/spring. It is a cold weather heat pump that makes heat down to like 4F. In the winter I have it set to about 1 degree from my hot water baseboard thermostat upstairs in my house.
I have 2 zones for heat with hot water baseboard. 1st floor HW turns on for kitchen (needs insulation and windows). Upstairs is set cooler for bedrooms. The heatpump comes on and circulates air better throughout the house. House is more comfortable year round and using less electric and oil. Old AC system was very inefficient and noisy. It was a YORK with belt driven air handler and was old when I bought the house. Still lasted 8 years of heavy use.
I have no issue recommending the Bosch system to anyone. Variable speeds for air handler and condenser. Very quiet on AC, not as quiet on heat. In summer I can stand next to mine on high speed and hear my neighbors across the street. Since it lists as electric heat, PSEG lowered my rate after ??? KW hours used.
Electric bill is cheaper, Oil used is less. The hot flash wife wants the house at 67F or colder when it's 90+ and humid. Bosch system is covering that. I got home one day from work saying it's a bit chilly (and I like it cold). She had it set to 63.
I have 2 zones for heat with hot water baseboard. 1st floor HW turns on for kitchen (needs insulation and windows). Upstairs is set cooler for bedrooms. The heatpump comes on and circulates air better throughout the house. House is more comfortable year round and using less electric and oil. Old AC system was very inefficient and noisy. It was a YORK with belt driven air handler and was old when I bought the house. Still lasted 8 years of heavy use.
I have no issue recommending the Bosch system to anyone. Variable speeds for air handler and condenser. Very quiet on AC, not as quiet on heat. In summer I can stand next to mine on high speed and hear my neighbors across the street. Since it lists as electric heat, PSEG lowered my rate after ??? KW hours used.
Electric bill is cheaper, Oil used is less. The hot flash wife wants the house at 67F or colder when it's 90+ and humid. Bosch system is covering that. I got home one day from work saying it's a bit chilly (and I like it cold). She had it set to 63.
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It depends on what you want and who installs it. More basic seer levels are cheaper but allow for more fluctuation in temperature being just on or off versus higher seer levels run more often on a lower stage but will maintain the temperature, generic brands with shorter warranty periods are cheaper but more a risk, some installers are cheap and others are expensive whether they're worth the higher cost or not depends on the group.
I had to replace ours last January. I went with American standard as it's the same as trane and with how complex things are made these days I want the best warranty I can get And I want as good a reputation from the manufacturer as possible because I don't want to have to worry about fixing the darn thing constantly. I stuck with 80% efficiency single stage furnace with a BTU of 80,000 and a seer 14 single stage on the air conditioner. I spent just under $8,000. The people that I know that have gotten multi stages haven't really saved any money as it just runs more often so energy savings are really non-existent according to them that it just performs more precisely at staying at that temperature at all times. The one that did that has already had to repair his system which was installed right before the pandemic. He has a ruud/ Rheem. The more stages a system has the more complexity it's going to have with the system. The parts when they break are going to be more expensive when the warranty is up and chances are it's going to break more often. To me, this is an HVAC system focus on keeping the house comfortable not a system to cure cancer. I'm okay with letting it fluctuate ever slightly on the temperature in exchange for more reliability. My new system performs better than my old Lennox did from 1997 on the furnace and 94 on the air conditioner. And I think it's slightly better on energy efficiency. I recommend keeping it simple and paying attention to the reputation of the brands.
I had to replace ours last January. I went with American standard as it's the same as trane and with how complex things are made these days I want the best warranty I can get And I want as good a reputation from the manufacturer as possible because I don't want to have to worry about fixing the darn thing constantly. I stuck with 80% efficiency single stage furnace with a BTU of 80,000 and a seer 14 single stage on the air conditioner. I spent just under $8,000. The people that I know that have gotten multi stages haven't really saved any money as it just runs more often so energy savings are really non-existent according to them that it just performs more precisely at staying at that temperature at all times. The one that did that has already had to repair his system which was installed right before the pandemic. He has a ruud/ Rheem. The more stages a system has the more complexity it's going to have with the system. The parts when they break are going to be more expensive when the warranty is up and chances are it's going to break more often. To me, this is an HVAC system focus on keeping the house comfortable not a system to cure cancer. I'm okay with letting it fluctuate ever slightly on the temperature in exchange for more reliability. My new system performs better than my old Lennox did from 1997 on the furnace and 94 on the air conditioner. And I think it's slightly better on energy efficiency. I recommend keeping it simple and paying attention to the reputation of the brands.
HP's don't do any good at 30 and under. Now a mini-split will produce heat down to 0 deg. I don't know how you could get any benefit from a regular HP in New England.
Mine is rated to do heat down to 4F degrees. I do get warm air maybe not hot when it is in the 10-20's. I don't need to rely on it for the heat though since PSEG required to still have a boiler/furnace etc. knowing limitations. Not an issue for me since I already had/have hot water baseboard with a Peerless Boiler.
The HP is nice for me as it helps circulate the heat better. Mine is set at about 1 degree off from the HWBB T-stat.
It does work well with everything down to around 40F and not needing the HWBB to run upstairs.
I know technically they will draw heat below 30. I was speaking practically. My house has cathedral ceilings and to be warm I added an outdoor wood boiler for forced air heat. Since I have to buy wood, it isn't any cheaper but I can be as warm as I want. Heat pump as the only source of heat in WV is not a good idea practically speaking.
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Not trying to start any brand arguments but are these from the same installer and brand? How are the warranties between the two and not just for the units but on the installer for labor? Have you seen any of the work that they've done before see if they do a great job on the duct work and other important details?
The rates can vary a lot.
When I did my shopping, I followed the advice of my friends and got three bids from three different installers. After setting up appointments, I watched YouTube videos and online reviews for the particular units I was considering to see how the reputation was for entry level versus premium versions within that brand to see you with the pluses and minuses were. I checked 3 installers the cheapest one was around $6500 for a Rheem 80%furnance 75000BTU, and 13seer single stage A/C with a one year labor warranty (I don't remember the factory warranty on parts). We had worked with them for maintenance and they always had a different technician and they either had the older unit blow too hard or too gentle on the igniter, so I decided against them.
The second one was the one who won with a five year labor warranty, a 14 vs. 13 SEER, the reviews I read on American standard (Trane) seemed to fit my liking, the employees seemed much happier and had been there a while.
The third one was selling the same unit as the first one for about $9,500. They were professional but they just seemed overpriced and they kept trying to upsell me to the most expensive machine possible at a tune of $20, 000. But the entry level I think they only offered two years of labor warranty with the factory warranty on the parts.
The company that I went with I am very pleased with so far. They did a better job than the original company that was maintaining the old unit. A friend of mine went with the third company and his results haven't been Stellar has he had to figure out a drainage problem himself after the install.
Sometimes what you pay for is what you get but some times paying more doesn't guarantee you're going to get a better service.
The unit I chose had the problems I could live with. The Trane / American standard air conditioners have a unique coil design that has to be maintained correctly and the furnace is louder than most. To make sure it was done right I'm having the installer who's a certified dealer maintain it for me. I can live with the louder noise as it does a much better job and it doesn't sound like it's about to blow the whole house up when it ignites unlike the old Lennox it replaced.
I decided against the rheem as the reputation was not quite as strong for entry-level models at least at that time. I wasn't going to give Lennox another chance after having two failed heat exchangers over a span of 10 years, A series of igniter problems that were never resolved entirely, and the problems with our rental house with its Lennox, and the reviews at that time did not inspire confidence either. Your results may vary and you should do some additional research on the different brands on the efficiency and feature level that you're considering buying to see what their current reputation is for that segment compared to others. You should research the warranty of the units, the installer, the reputation of the installer, and from there hope and pray you make the best decision.
The rates can vary a lot.
When I did my shopping, I followed the advice of my friends and got three bids from three different installers. After setting up appointments, I watched YouTube videos and online reviews for the particular units I was considering to see how the reputation was for entry level versus premium versions within that brand to see you with the pluses and minuses were. I checked 3 installers the cheapest one was around $6500 for a Rheem 80%furnance 75000BTU, and 13seer single stage A/C with a one year labor warranty (I don't remember the factory warranty on parts). We had worked with them for maintenance and they always had a different technician and they either had the older unit blow too hard or too gentle on the igniter, so I decided against them.
The second one was the one who won with a five year labor warranty, a 14 vs. 13 SEER, the reviews I read on American standard (Trane) seemed to fit my liking, the employees seemed much happier and had been there a while.
The third one was selling the same unit as the first one for about $9,500. They were professional but they just seemed overpriced and they kept trying to upsell me to the most expensive machine possible at a tune of $20, 000. But the entry level I think they only offered two years of labor warranty with the factory warranty on the parts.
The company that I went with I am very pleased with so far. They did a better job than the original company that was maintaining the old unit. A friend of mine went with the third company and his results haven't been Stellar has he had to figure out a drainage problem himself after the install.
Sometimes what you pay for is what you get but some times paying more doesn't guarantee you're going to get a better service.
The unit I chose had the problems I could live with. The Trane / American standard air conditioners have a unique coil design that has to be maintained correctly and the furnace is louder than most. To make sure it was done right I'm having the installer who's a certified dealer maintain it for me. I can live with the louder noise as it does a much better job and it doesn't sound like it's about to blow the whole house up when it ignites unlike the old Lennox it replaced.
I decided against the rheem as the reputation was not quite as strong for entry-level models at least at that time. I wasn't going to give Lennox another chance after having two failed heat exchangers over a span of 10 years, A series of igniter problems that were never resolved entirely, and the problems with our rental house with its Lennox, and the reviews at that time did not inspire confidence either. Your results may vary and you should do some additional research on the different brands on the efficiency and feature level that you're considering buying to see what their current reputation is for that segment compared to others. You should research the warranty of the units, the installer, the reputation of the installer, and from there hope and pray you make the best decision.
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