Replacement & installation
A system sized for your house, not for our schedule
Replacement is the biggest single expense most homeowners face on their house short of a roof. We would rather you make that decision slowly, with real numbers in front of you.
How we do it differently
An actual load calculation
Manual J, based on your square footage, insulation, window area and orientation — not “what was there before.” A great many Florida homes are running systems one full ton oversized, which is exactly why they feel cold and clammy at the same time. Replacing like-for-like just inherits the mistake.
We inspect the ductwork before quoting
A new 16-SEER system attached to leaking, undersized ducts will underperform a properly ducted 14-SEER unit and you will have paid more for the privilege. We measure static pressure and tell you what the ducts are actually doing. Sometimes the honest answer is that your ducts need the money more than your condenser does.
Written options, no same-day pressure
You get three tiers — good, better, best — with the real trade-offs written down, and the quote is good for 30 days. There is no “this price is only good today.” That tactic exists to stop you getting a second opinion, and we would rather you got one.
Permitted, inspected, documented
We pull the permit, meet the inspector, and hand you the paperwork along with the warranty registration completed. Unregistered warranties are the most common way homeowners lose five years of coverage without knowing it.
Replacement pricing
Complete system, installed
| 2 ton (approx. up to 1,100 sq ft) | $6,800 – $8,900 |
|---|---|
| 2.5 ton | $7,300 – $9,800 |
| 3 ton (approx. 1,400–1,800 sq ft) | $7,900 – $11,200 |
| 3.5 ton | $8,600 – $12,400 |
| 4–5 ton | $9,400 – $14,500 |
| Air handler only | $3,200 – $5,400 |
| Condenser only | $3,400 – $6,100 |
Includes permit, Manual J load calculation, new pad, lineset flush or replacement, new thermostat, and warranty registration. Square footage figures are a rough guide only — the load calculation is what decides.
Ductwork
| Seal and repair existing | $800 – $3,200 |
|---|---|
| Partial replacement | $1,800 – $4,500 |
| Full duct replacement | $3,500 – $9,000 |
| Add a return | $450 – $1,100 |
| Zoning system (2 zones) | $2,400 – $4,800 |
Quoted separately and honestly. We will tell you if your ducts are fine, and often they are.
Gulf Coast systems fail differently
Equipment lasts 15–20 years in Ohio. Here, plan on 10–15, and closer to 8–12 within a couple of miles of the water. Three reasons, all local:
- Salt air eats coils. Aluminium fin and copper tube corrode from the outside in. Near the beach, coil-coated equipment is not an upsell, it is the difference between eight years and fifteen.
- Runtime is brutal. A Bay County system runs hard from April into October. That is roughly double the annual compressor hours of a Midwest install.
- Humidity never lets up. Condensate runs constantly, which is why drain and float-switch maintenance matters far more here than the manufacturer’s generic manual suggests.
This is also why we push back on the cheapest possible equipment near the coast. It is not upselling to point out that an uncoated coil in Panama City Beach is a false economy.
If your system went in between 2019 and 2021, read this
An enormous number of Bay County systems were installed in the rebuild rush after Hurricane Michael. Contractors were stretched thin, equipment was whatever could be sourced, and a lot of those installs were done fast. Those systems are now hitting the age where coils start failing.
If yours is from that window, it is worth having someone look at the coil and the duct connections before it fails in August rather than after. We will tell you honestly if it is fine — plenty of them are.
Questions we get asked a lot
How long does a replacement take?
A straight changeout is one day. Add ductwork and it becomes two. We do not leave a house without cooling overnight — if a job runs long, we get the system running before we leave and finish the trim work the next morning.
Do you offer financing?
Yes, with approved credit, including options with no interest if paid within the promotional period. We will show you the total cost of the financing alongside the cash price, because a monthly payment that hides a large finance charge is not a favour to anybody.
What SEER rating should I get?
For most Bay County homes, 15–16 SEER2 is the sweet spot. Going higher does save energy, but the payback period on the premium tiers often runs past the equipment life here given how our runtime and salt exposure shorten it. We will run the actual numbers for your usage rather than sell you the biggest number.
Will a bigger system cool better?
Almost always the opposite. An oversized system satisfies the thermostat quickly, shuts off, and never runs long enough to pull moisture out of the air — so the house reads 74 degrees and feels like a basement. Correct sizing is the single most important decision in the whole job.
Do I need to be home for the install?
For the walkthrough at the start and the handover at the end, yes. In between, not really. We will need access to the attic, the air handler and the electrical panel.