Central AC and home investment

[Moemg]

First quote came in at about $8500, with no eligible tax credit. Expecting another quote tomorrow and another one early next week. Have not seen the details of the one we got. Will wait for more quotes before I really think about it, and want to make sure we are not heading for armageddon (don't think so).

My air conditioner died two years ago and the bids were all over the place . I had duct work but I needed a large unit and they had to have a crane to lift it into place ( elevated house ) . I followed CFB's advice on what unit to buy and he was spot on ( There is an old thread on air conditioners . 2008 ? ) . Cost was $5,500 installed .

 

[Bimmerbill]

I have contractors coming next Tuesday. Was hoping the price would be below $5K.
Anyone have any links to DIY duct installation? I have an open unfinished basement, with full access to the floor joists.

 

[Bimmerbill]

Got my quote a few hours ago. $2800 for the 3 ton, 13 SEER unit, pad and installation.
2000 for the air handler in the attic. 3100 for Koolduct system with all bells and whistles, $1000 for electrical hookup of unit and air handler. $300 for electrical sub panel, $500 for hepa media filter setup.

Guy said in my area, 300 hours of AC was about the norm, at 20 cents KwHr, so cost to operate was pretty cheap.

Said I could shave off some $ if I got some other sort of ducting (flexiduct?).

Seemed expensive to me, especially for a 1400 sq foot house. Could do a 2 zone split ductless for around 4500 to 5000 I think.

quote thru Home Depot

 

[brewer12345]

Well, we got another quote from a constractor that comes highly recommended. $13k, less $2100 in tax credits and rebates. This is for a 16 SEER 2.5 ton unit and all the trimmings for a ~1950 sq. foot house. The third quote was even higher, but specified a 3 ton unit (not sure why the difference). I suspect that I will have some quetions for the highly recommended contractor. Most of the houses in my area have central air, so that is a consideration, but the prices...

 

[REWahoo]

I've spend some time lurking on the Residential HVAC forum and found it can be a decent place to get info on what systems might make sense for individual circumstances. Most members are heating and air conditioning pros (the good news) but have no patience whatsoever with DIY questions (the bad news). They can be testy but if you give them the specs on what you've been quoted and the details on your house, they may provide some input on what systems might work best - like whether the savings for Bimmerbill using flexiduct makes sense or whether Brewer should go with a 2.5 or 3 ton unit.

Maybe worth a post - but wear your flack jacket just in case you hit a nerve.

 

[samclem]

$13K does seem like a lot (of course, it's likely all the prices went up when the gummint money started flooding the HVAC market).
I wonder if either the 2 1/2T or the 3T unit were recommended as a resut of a real Manual J audit, or just resulted from a WAG.
If you didn't before, you might want to clarify that cost is an issue. The Flexiduct (aka "slinky duct" etc) referred to by Bimmerbill is much faster to install than real duct. It's terrible stuff: rough on the inside so the air doesn't travel as efficiently, not especially well insulated so there are losses to the warm attic, etc. "Ductboard" or real metal ducting with exterior insulation is much better. Still, it is what is installed in most new homes and prospective buyers don't seem to mind. If you could save a few $K, it would be worth it to you.

 

[FIREd]

Well, we got another quote from a constractor that comes highly recommended. $13k, less $2100 in tax credits and rebates. This is for a 16 SEER 2.5 ton unit and all the trimmings for a ~1950 sq. foot house. The third quote was even higher, but specified a 3 ton unit (not sure why the difference). I suspect that I will have some quetions for the highly recommended contractor. Most of the houses in my area have central air, so that is a consideration, but the prices...

Do you really need a 16 SEER unit? How much will you save on your electric bill by going with the 16 SEER as opposed to a 13 or 14 SEER?

 

[Pete]

You gotta have the right humidity but I just love our swamp cooler... freezes me out with a 20 to 30 degree temp change.

 

[brewer12345]

I dunno if I need 16 SEER. Frankly I feel like I am in the dark on a lot of this. However, our power costs are at least 20 cents per kwh, so efficiency can make a significant difference in the power bill, especially at peak demand times.

I think the next step will be to chat with one of the contractors to learn more. As for cost, I suspect that a significant part of the price is the fact that we are in NJ.

 

[Bimmerbill]

Same here Brewer, things are more expensive in the north east.
My quote was for a 3 ton unit. The guy seemed to really know his stuff and did an ACCA Manual J load, or so the paperwork says. He counted my windows and checked the insulation in the attic.

 

[saluki9]

Adding ducts throughout the entire house is going to be a big, expensive project. Not to mention that just getting 70-80% of your money back on home improvements is considered a huge victory when you sell.

Why bother if you're going to only be there 3 more years?

 

[brewer12345]

Two reasons to bother:

- I am sick of dealing with wall units (minor issue, frankly)

- Given that the vast majority of homes in my market have central AC, I suspect it may make the eventual sale difficult.

Very much on the fence.

 

[Dawg52]

Well, we got another quote from a constractor that comes highly recommended. $13k, less $2100 in tax credits and rebates. This is for a 16 SEER 2.5 ton unit and all the trimmings for a ~1950 sq. foot house. The third quote was even higher, but specified a 3 ton unit (not sure why the difference). .

Same here Brewer, things are more expensive in the north east.
.

Man, looks like they stick it to you in the NE. As I said previously, mine cost $4.2k net of tax credits and rebates for a 3 ton 15 SEER system. But my price didn't include duct work as I already had it. But wages in your area are much higher too, so maybe it's a wash.

 

[brewer12345]

Man, looks like they stick it to you in the NE. As I said previously, mine cost $4.2k net of tax credits and rebates for a 3 ton 15 SEER system. But my price didn't include duct work as I already had it. But wages in your area are much higher too, so maybe it's a wash.

Have no duct work now, so it would be all from scratch.

 

[Bimmerbill]

No ducts here either, which costs $3K to install in my attic (1 floor ranch, so easy installation).

So, $8700 for the complete system.

Anyone know how much of the $ you get back when selling?

 

[sailor]

As a reference point, if you were to do it yourself, it's possible to do it for $2.5k
Haier 3 ton 13 SEER heat pump $1699 (just A/C even cheaper) with 10 years warranty, $300 worth of electrical stuff (may be a little more if you need to add a subpanel) , $30 lineset, $30 thermostat, $10 plumbing for the drain, let's say roughly $500 for flexible ducts & registers.

I decided that when our HVAC croaks, I'll do it myself (famous left handed LBYM engineer thinking

sailor

 

[brewer12345]

As a reference point, if you were to do it yourself, it's possible to do it for $2.5k

sailor

And if a table had wings I could fly it to the moon.