New HVAC system cost calculator
- Price to quote
- $15,415
- Approximate size, BTU per hour
- 43,636
- Equipment cost
- $6,749
- Ductwork cost
- $0
Every figure on this page is computed from the inputs you enter, by the method stated below it. CoilDesk publishes no market averages and quotes no survey: the defaults are a worked example to replace with your own.
The figures above start from a worked example ($15,415). Change any input and the answer updates as you type.
Download the New HVAC system cost calculator worked example (CSV)
This works a new system install from the floor area up. It takes the conditioned square footage and turns it into an approximate nominal capacity, prices the equipment against the system type and efficiency tier you are actually selling, adds ductwork by the foot when the ducts are being replaced, adds your own labor at your own rate, and then applies your gross margin target to give the number that goes on the quote. Every figure is yours: change the rate, change the hours, change the margin, and the answer moves with them.
Why the sizing here is a starting point and not a load calculation
The square footage rule this page uses is the estimator's shortcut: roughly one ton for every 550 conditioned square feet in a reasonably insulated home. It is good enough to price a replacement and to sanity check a number a customer has been quoted elsewhere. It is not good enough to order equipment against. Envelope, glazing, orientation, infiltration, duct losses and internal gains all move the real answer, sometimes by a full ton, and only a Manual J run against the actual house settles it. Price with this, confirm with that.
What the efficiency tier is doing to the number
Moving from base efficiency to a mid tier system does not add a fixed dollar amount, it multiplies the equipment side. A variable speed high efficiency system carries a materially higher equipment cost, and it also carries longer commissioning time, which is why the labor hours field is separate and yours to set. If you are quoting good, better and best on the same house, run this three times and change only the efficiency tier: the difference you see is the honest difference in your own cost, before you decide what the difference in price should be.
Ductwork is the line that decides whether the job is profitable
Reusing existing ducts costs nothing here and full replacement is priced by the conditioned square foot, because that is how the material and the labor actually scale. The partial option covers the common case: trunk stays, branches and boots get replaced, or the return gets rebuilt because it was never big enough. If the ducts are undersized for the new equipment, pricing the job with reuse selected is the fastest way to lose money on it, so price what you are going to install.
New HVAC system cost calculator: common questions
How much does a new HVAC system cost?
It depends on the equipment, the ductwork and your own labor rate and margin, which is why this page asks for all four rather than quoting a national figure. The worked example it opens with is a 2,000 square foot home with usable existing ducts and a mid efficiency AC and gas furnace; the answer it produces is on the page above. Change the inputs to your own and the number moves with them.
Does this include the permit and the inspection?
No. This page prices equipment, ductwork and labor. Permit fees, inspection fees, crane or lift hire, electrical upgrades, gas line work and disposal are job specific and belong on the quote as their own lines. The quote builder on this site has a separate permit and fees field for exactly that reason.
Why is the price higher than my cost by more than my margin percentage?
Because margin and markup are not the same arithmetic. Margin is measured against the selling price and markup against your cost, so this page divides your cost by one minus your margin target rather than multiplying it by one plus a markup. Contractors who add their margin figure on top of cost and call the result a margin are pricing several points light on every job. Set the margin field to what you intend to keep and the price line does the right conversion for you.
Can I use this to check a quote I have been given?
Yes, and it is a fair use of it. Put in the home's square footage, the system type and efficiency tier on the quote, whether the ducts are being replaced, and a labor rate you believe for your area. If the quoted price is a long way above the number here, the difference should be explainable by line items: ductwork, electrical, permits, a crane, a hard access, or a longer warranty.
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Where the constants in this tool come from
ACCA HVAC Blog: 400 CFM Per Ton, Or Is It? (Matt Akins, Manager of HVACR Education, ACCA, 4 February 2021). Why the square-foot rule on this page is for pricing and not for ordering: airflow and capacity follow the house and the equipment, not the floor area, which is what a full load calculation settles.
Cite or embed this figure
New HVAC system cost calculator (Price to quote): $15,415, CoilDesk, worked example.
Cite as: "New HVAC system cost calculator, CoilDesk", updated 2026-08-25, https://coildesk.com/tools/system-cost/.