Central Air Conditioning installation costs
- Thread starter CRHS89
- Start date
4-6K is probably a good estimate for the equipment. Figure maybe $3-4K more for ductwork if none and fairly accessible, meaning there is room in either the crawl or attic to work. In HVAC work you always get what you pay for. Could you find somebody to do the whole thing for 5K probably but it will probably be a shabby job. Duct sealing is absolutely critical if the system is expected to perform as good as it can. Most companies don't do duct sealing on a regular basis.
Most companies also have some type of financing as well.
Most companies also have some type of financing as well.
I had a 1000 sq ft home which, after my heat pump failed, I kept cool with two window units and it worked - mostly - just fine for two years. I still used them from time to time AFTER my heat pump was fixed, because I tended to spend most of my time in the same two rooms of the house.
For a 1200 sq foot you are looking around a 2 ton unit maybe a 2 1/2 depending on how well the house is insulated. The rule of thumb is a well insulated house is 700 sq foot per ton and a older house that is not well insulated is 600 per ton. It all depends on how efficient you wanna go. They dont make any thing under a 13 seer now. The fed gov is giving away a 1500$ tax credit if you put a unit in that qualified for the rebate. I have been doing this type of work for 10 years now. A ball park price for a unit for the rebate, 2 ton would be around $3400 to $4000 at the most. If you have window units, i dont no what you are doing for heat but if you need duct work it would be a bigger job. If you have anymore questions i would answer anything you need just ask.
I hope you don't actually size by ft2. That is a really, really bad way to do it and won't make you a good reputation. People want to see you doing some calculations to know that you are doing your best for them. Do yourself a favor and invest in some load calculation software or print out a manual j and do it the hard way.
There is no accurate way to size a heating/cooling system by ft2. It is just not possible.
bcp
In My Opinion
I agree, windows, insulation in walls and ceiling, actual wall space that shares the outside, all need to be factored in. a 1200 ft home with few windows is not going to require the same cooling as a 1200 foot home with one wall that is mostly glass and some skylights thrown in.
even the type of water heater you have can make more or less heat.
One of my daughter projects in her STEM classes was to take the blueprints of a home and figure out the BTU loss of that home based on the number and type of windows/doors, insulation etc...
I believe you also have to factor in how the air flows through the home to determine the placement of return vents and supply vents.
Too much work for me, well worth the cost of hiring someone that actually knows what they are doing when it comes to these things.