HVAC Replacement & Installation Costs (2026)
Updated September 2026
A gas furnace replacement runs $3,800–$10,000 installed (about $4,800 typical, the Fixr national average); an electric furnace runs $1,600–$8,116, the cheapest upfront; and a central AC replacement runs $3,750–$9,150 installed at the standard federal-minimum efficiency band. Replacing the furnace and AC together as a matched system runs $5,000–$12,500. On the heat-pump side, air-source units run $4,500–$15,000 installed, ductless mini-splits $2,000–$5,500 single-zone, and geothermal $6,000–$35,000. Below are the national installed ranges by system type, the line items that move the total, and the full guide: how much does a furnace or central AC replacement cost.
Installed cost at a glance
Each triplet is low–typical–high from the HVAC dataset. These are installed service costs — labor included — not manufacturer pricing.
| System | Installed cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gas furnace, standard efficiency (80% AFUE) | $3,800–$4,800–$10,000 | Federal-minimum tier; ~80% AFUE sits at the lower end of the gas band (Fixr) |
| Gas furnace, high efficiency (95–98% AFUE) | $6,000–$7,000–$12,000 | Top of the gas band; low bound composed (flagged) |
| Electric furnace | $1,600–$4,900–$8,116 | Combined published bands; typical is a composed midpoint (flagged) |
| Central AC, standard (14.3–15.2 SEER2) | $3,750–$5,978–$9,150 | 3-ton baseline, existing ductwork |
| Central AC, high efficiency (16+ SEER2) | $4,800–$7,500–$14,000 | +20–50% premium over the standard band |
| Matched system (furnace + AC together) | $5,000–$7,500–$12,500 | One crew visit; $500–$2,000+ labor-savings band (Angi) |
| Heat pump, air-source (14–16 SEER2) | $4,500–$6,300–$15,000 | HomeAdvisor average $6,088; Fixr books $8,350 avg — band kept, not averaged |
| Heat pump, cold-climate (18+ SEER2) | $7,000–$10,000–$18,000 | Composed-band evidence, flagged in the dataset |
| Heat pump, geothermal (ground-source) | $6,000–$15,206–$35,000 | Drilling/loop work $5,000–$15,000 is the big swing |
| Mini-split, single zone (ductless) | $2,000–$3,000–$5,500 | Per-zone install |
| Mini-split, multi-zone (2–5 zones) | $3,500–$6,500–$18,000 | Scales with zone count |
Notes on three rows: the high-efficiency furnace low bound is composed from Fixr's all-fuel band top (no publisher separates a high-efficiency low); the electric furnace typical is a composed midpoint of three publishers' bands; and the matched-system row's savings are published by Angi as a $500–$2,000+ band, which this hub presents as a band, never averaged.
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- Gas furnace (80% AFUE) — $3,800–$10,000 installed, about $4,800 typical. The federal-minimum tier and the most common replacement. Start with the full guide: how much does a furnace or central AC replacement cost.
- Gas furnace, high efficiency (95–98% AFUE) — $6,000–$12,000 installed. Roughly +30–50% over standard; AFUE 97%+ may qualify for a 30% federal tax credit (max $600, per Fixr citing ENERGY STAR).
- Electric furnace — $1,600–$8,116 installed. Cheapest upfront; resistance heating is ~100% efficient at the unit, so no AFUE split applies.
- Central AC (14.3–15.2 SEER2) — $3,750–$9,150 installed, about $5,978 typical (Angi average). 3-ton baseline with existing ductwork.
- Central AC, high efficiency (16+ SEER2) — $4,800–$14,000 installed. Sources publish a +20–50% premium over the standard band.
- Matched system (furnace + AC together) — $5,000–$12,500 installed, about $7,500 typical. One crew visit; Angi documents $500–$2,000+ in labor/overhead savings vs two separate visits.
- Heat pump, air-source (14–16 SEER2) — $4,500–$15,000 installed, about $6,300 typical. One unit heats and cools; HomeAdvisor books $6,088 average and Fixr $8,350 — the band holds both rather than picking one.
- Heat pump, cold-climate (18+ SEER2) — $7,000–$18,000 installed. Inverter units sized for sub-zero heating; no core publisher splits the low bound (flagged).
- Geothermal (ground-source) heat pump — $6,000–$35,000 installed, about $15,206 typical. Drilling and loop fields ($5,000–$15,000) drive most of the spread.
- Mini-split (ductless) — $2,000–$5,500 installed single-zone; multi-zone systems (2–5 indoor heads) run $3,500–$18,000. No ductwork needed.
Prices for heat pumps, mini-splits, and geothermal come from the Phase-2 dataset rows (merged September 2026); Angi and HomeAdvisor figures there are search-served captures, flagged and re-verified where snapshots existed.
Other home projects
- Water heaters — installed replacement cost by fuel and type, from 50-gal tanks to tankless and heat pump units.
- Whole-house standby generators — unit and installed cost for air- and liquid-cooled standby systems.
- Roof replacement — installed cost by roof size, material, tear-off, and pitch.
- Windows & doors — window replacement cost by frame material, insert versus full-frame, and count.
- Bathroom remodel — whole-room installed cost by tier, plus line items from tub to tile.
FAQ
How long do furnaces and central AC units last?
Gas furnaces run 15–20 years (to 25–30 with meticulous care — ASHRAE's median is about 18), central AC condensers 15–20 years, and air-source heat pumps 10–15 because they run year-round. Geothermal systems split the difference: the indoor unit lasts 20–25 years while the ground loop is rated for 50+ (ASHRAE Equipment Service Life Database, DOE, InterNACHI, Carrier).
What is SEER2 and why do the numbers look lower than SEER?
SEER2 is the AC efficiency standard behind the 2023 federal regional minimums: 14.3 SEER2 for units under 45,000 BTU/hr in the Southeast/Southwest, 13.4 SEER2 in the North. The new Appendix M1 test procedure raises external static pressure up to 5×, so the same unit drops roughly 0.6 SEER points in the new metric without an efficiency change. Southern units face a higher equipment floor because their compliance is measured at installation date, not manufacture date (ICC/DOE summaries).
Why did HVAC equipment prices go up in 2025?
The refrigerant transition. Under the AIM Act, new residential AC and heat-pump systems from January 1, 2025 must use refrigerant with GWP ≤ 700 — R-454B or R-32 instead of R-410A. New A2L-class systems run roughly 10–25% more than legacy R-410A equivalents, driven by leak-detection hardware, redesigned compressors, and technician retraining (trade-press consensus, attributed as reported — not a DOE statistic). Existing R-410A systems do not need replacement; reclaimed refrigerant remains available for service, and there is no retrofit path.
How often should HVAC equipment be serviced?
The industry convention is twice a year — a spring cooling tune-up and a fall heating tune-up — with 1-inch filters checked monthly in peak seasons and replaced every 1–3 months (30–60 days with pets or allergies), per ENERGY STAR's maintenance checklist. That cadence is a convention, not a regulation: no federal rule mandates tune-ups.
Next step: compare local quotes
The numbers above come from public cost guides. Getting two or three written quotes for the same scope is the only way to know your local price — free and no obligation.
Get HVAC quotes near youEstimate only — get local written quotes. Observations are national installed ranges from public cost guides, not verified contractor pricing. Angi and HomeAdvisor figures are search-served captures re-verified at page-build time; three composed or conflicting figures (high-efficiency furnace low, electric furnace typical, matched-system labor savings) are called out in the table notes rather than smoothed. Figures were last checked September 2026. Related: the furnace & central AC replacement guide, the HVAC cost calculator, and the garage doors guide for another exterior-trade cost breakdown.