Calculators
HVAC installation and replacement cost calculators
Central AC, furnaces, heat pumps, mini-splits, ductwork, repairs and maintenance, with sourced and dated ranges.
Installation prices vary more than almost anything else in home improvement, because the same equipment can be a four-hour swap or a three-day job with new ducts, a new line set, electrical work and a permit. The calculators here start from published national cost surveys for 2024 and 2025, state the survey and its year on every page, and then move the range for the things that are known to move it: tonnage, the efficiency tier, the state of the ductwork, the region's labour rates and whether a permit is pulled.
The result is always a range, never a quote. Its purpose is to tell you whether the three quotes on your kitchen table are in the normal band, and what the line items in them should roughly cost. The guide on reading an HVAC quote explains what to look for in each.
7 calculators
HVAC System Replacement Cost Calculator
A sourced price range for replacing a central AC, furnace, both, or a heat pump by size, efficiency tier, ducts and region.
Mini-Split Installation Cost Calculator
Installed cost of a ductless system by number of heads, head size and type, line set, electrical work and region.
Furnace Installation Cost Calculator
Installed cost of a gas, propane, oil or electric furnace by size and efficiency, with venting, gas line and permit.
Heat Pump Installation Cost Calculator
Installed cost of a ducted, cold-climate or whole-house ductless heat pump, with electrical and duct work, after rebates.
Ductwork Cost Calculator
Installed cost of new ductwork per foot and for the house, flex or sheet metal, by access and region.
AC Repair Cost Calculator
Typical cost of common AC repairs, from capacitors to compressors, with the repair-or-replace rules applied.
HVAC Maintenance Cost Calculator
A year of tune-ups, filters and repairs paid as you go against a maintenance plan, and which is cheaper.
Guides for this topic
Duct leakage: the 20% you pay for and never feel
Ducts in an attic or crawl space typically leak a fifth or more of the air the system makes. Sealing them is one of the best paybacks in a house.
Furnace input, output and AFUE: reading the nameplate
A "100,000 BTU furnace" usually means 100,000 BTU of gas in, not heat out. Knowing which number is which is the difference between a right-sized furnace and a guess.
Mini-splits: sizing each zone and the outdoor unit
A mini-split is sized twice, once for each room and once for the outdoor unit that serves them all. Most mistakes happen in the first step, with a 12k head in every bedroom.
How to read an HVAC quote (tonnage, SEER2, ductwork, warranty)
Three quotes for the same house can differ by thousands of dollars and still not be comparable. Here is what each line should say and what to ask when it does not.
Repair or replace: the age-times-cost rule and what it misses
Multiply the age by the repair cost. Over 5,000, lean towards replacing. It is a good start, and here is what it leaves out.
What HVAC installations cost, by system
Installed prices for the same system vary by two to one. Here are the published ranges, with their sources and dates, and the factors that put a quote at the top or the bottom.
Questions people ask
- How much does it cost to replace a central air conditioner?
- National cost guides for 2025 put a central AC replacement, with the existing furnace and ducts kept, at about $3,300 to $7,800 for a 3-ton unit, with a typical job near $5,750 (HVAC.com) and a similar $3,882 to $7,903 range reported by Bob Vila. Higher SEER2 tiers add 15 to 35%; a new line set, pad or disconnect add a few hundred dollars each. Replacing the furnace at the same time roughly doubles the total.
- How much does a new furnace cost installed?
- 2025 and 2026 furnace guides give about $3,000 to $6,000 for an 80% gas furnace installed and $4,500 to $8,500 for a 95 to 96% two-stage condensing furnace, with modulating units higher. Switching from an 80% furnace to a condensing one adds venting work, because the exhaust must go out through plastic pipe instead of the chimney, typically $500 to $1,500.
- How much does a heat pump cost to install?
- A ducted air-source heat pump runs about $7,000 to $15,000 installed in 2025 cost guides, and cold-climate models about $10,000 to $20,000; EnergySage reported a 2025 ducted average of $15,326 after incentives. Electrical upgrades can add $500 to $4,000 and significant duct work $2,000 to $8,000. The federal 25C tax credit ended for systems installed after 2025; state and utility rebates vary, so the calculator takes them as a number you enter.
- What does a mini-split cost per zone?
- A single-zone ductless system costs about $3,000 to $6,000 installed and each additional head about $2,000 to $4,000, in line with 2025 guides that give $2,500 to $8,500 per zone and $7,500 to $15,000 or more for two to three zones. Long line-set runs, a new electrical circuit, ceiling cassettes and cold-climate models push the price up. The mini-split installation cost calculator prices each zone separately.
- How much does ductwork cost per linear foot?
- Fixr's August 2025 guide puts installed galvanized sheet-metal duct at about $21 to $62 per linear foot and insulated flex duct at about $7 to $34, depending on region and complexity. Whole-house duct replacements typically run $4,000 to $14,000. Finished ceilings that must be opened and tight crawl spaces add to that.
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