How Much Does An HVAC System Cost?

Winter has finally set in and if your furnace isn’t operating in peak condition it may struggle or even die. Tens of thousands of people across the country will be facing breakdowns and difficult decisions this time of year. Can I make it one more year? Which brand is best? Should I do the furnace and the air conditioner at the same time? And perhaps most importantly, how much does an HVAC system cost?

Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (commonly abbreviated as HVAC), is the cornerstone of comfort when it comes to your enjoyment of living in your home. That is why breakdowns are so frustrating, because they oftentimes happen at the worst times of year. By reading this article you will gain a greater understanding of not only how these systems work, but also have a better idea of how much a new heating and cooling system will cost if you are faced with that decision.

HVAC Prices

HVAC systems are very complicated systems that require multiple considerations before designing a system. This makes it very hard to give an exact figure for a total HVAC system cost. That is why it is so important to make sure you are working with a professional contractor who has a Mechanical License, insurance, a bond and is NATE certified. What is N.A.T.E. Certification?

When it comes to figuring out the price of a new furnace or air conditioner one of the biggest parts is deciding just how “good” of a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump you want to have installed. A better system like the Trane XC95m and XV20i uses cutting edge inverter technology and costs substantially more than a two stage or single stage HVAC system. However, you can reasonably expect the inverter system to use much less power, provide much more consistent temperatures in the home and last the longest.

Another factor that comes into play when figuring the price of an HVAC system is the size, design and layout of your home. For instance, a 1,000 square foot ranch is going to need less heating and cooling than a 2,500 square foot house. Likewise, if you have a lot of windows you will gain a lot of heat in the summer and lose a lot of heat in the winter. Also, if your home has an odd layout, or if it will be difficult to run line set, venting, ducts, electrical or condensate drains then you could see the price jump up substantially.

What Makes Up My HVAC System?

When you are considering the cost of your new HVAC system you need to look at what you’re actually being quoted and make sure that all of the pieces are there so you can rest assured that your contractor isn’t cutting corners. An HVAC system is a lot like buying a Porsche or a Lamborghini. Imagine you bought a really nice high end sports car and it came in a bunch of boxes and needed to be assembled in your garage. What boxes would there be?

Furnace – The furnace provides warm air heat by burning oil, propane or natural gas. As the furnace burns the fuel it heats the furnaces heat exchanger which in turn heats the air as the blower motor blows air across it.

Air Conditioner – The air conditioner (or heat pump) is installed outside of the home and operates using electricity. The air conditioners job is to transfer heat from inside of the home to outside of the home using refrigerant.

Line Set – The line set is a commonly overlooked aspect of a home comfort system, but should be replaced anytime a system is changed out. The line set is the copper piping which connects the outdoor air conditioning unit with the indoor evaporator coil. The job of the line set is to convey they super heated vapor back to the outdoor condensing unit and to bring the sub cooled refrigerant back to the evaporator coil.

Evaporator Coil – The evaporator coil is another commonly overlooked component of a home comfort system. This is the coil which typically will sit on top of the furnace. There are two types of metering devices that come with these systems: pistons or TXV’s. Pistons are less expensive but not as energy efficient. TXV’s are generally slightly more expensive and energy efficient. Which ever way you go, you want to make sure that your contractor is not trying to use the old coil with a new furnace and air conditioner.

Air Filter – The air filter keeps your HVAC system clean. The type of air filter installed makes a huge difference in the lifespan of the equipment. Our standard system air filter is the Aprilaire 1410/1610.

Ductwork – The job of your ductwork is to move hot and cold air around your home.

Thermostat – The thermostat is “Mission Control” of your home’s HVAC system.

These seven items are the major components of what makes up a home comfort system. Just one of these components not being set properly can quickly turn your high dollar sports car into the most pathetic Craigslist junker you’ve ever seen. All of these components work together to make the system run at peak efficiency.

Average Cost of A HVAC System

As I said earlier, it is impossible to give an accurate assessment of what an HVAC system will cost without considering the size, design and layout. However, we can get into the right ballpark.

• You can expect to spend $7,000 to $13,000 for a relatively basic HVAC system going into a 1,000 square foot home.
• A warm air gas fired furnace will cost between $4,800 and $8,000.
• A Central air conditioning system alone will cost between $4,000 and $6,500 for a relatively basic unit.
• A high end fully outfitted inverter system with all of the add-ons can cost as much as $25,000.
• A good geothermal system can cost as much as $35,000.

The spectrum on new system costs is fairly broad and that is because there are so many difference between homes, sizes, and what your home may need is not necessarily what your neighbors house may need.

Conclusion

If you think you may need a new home comfort system then call our team and have one of our licensed service experts visit with you. We can figure out what HVAC system you need and go over all the different options available to you in order to design the perfect system for your family and your budget.

About Comfort Heroes

Comfort Heroess, LLC , rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau, was founded in 2014 by Alan Gentry. His vision was to build a home service company that clients could turn to for just about every problem a homeowner could face. Since then Comfort Heroes has grown to offer plumbing, heating, cooling, sewer, drain, remodeling and insulation services. For more information please call [hls_phone_number]  or visit www.CallGoldenRule.com