Why HVAC quotes are $10,000 apart, and how to compare them

You got three quotes for the same house and they're nowhere close. One is $11,000, one is $16,500, one is $21,000. Nobody explained the difference, and now you're supposed to pick.

Here's the honest answer. Most of the gap isn't the equipment. It's what each quote includes, what it quietly leaves out, and how much it cost that company to sell you the job.

What actually moves the price

• Size. A 5 ton system costs more than a 3 ton. Make sure every quote is the same size, and ask how they got that number.
• Efficiency. A basic single-stage unit and a variable-speed inverter unit are different products. Same size, thousands apart.
• System type. AC only, furnace only, furnace plus AC, or a heat pump. Easy to compare the wrong things.
• Scope. Ductwork, electrical work, a new refrigerant line set, a crane for a roof unit. Some quotes include these, some leave them out, some add them later.
• Permit and inspection. Required in California. A quote without it is cheaper on paper and a problem when you sell the house.
• Labor warranty. One year versus ten years of labor coverage is a real difference in what you are buying.
• The sales process. An in-home salesperson, a showroom and the commission all get built into the price.

Use our prices as a yardstick

Most companies won't post a price at all. Here are our real installed price ranges, haul-away and thermostat included (permit fees are quoted separately, so compare them separately too). Our instant quote gives your exact price in about 2 minutes. If another quote is way above that for the same size and equipment, ask why.

The quote comparison checklist

Put every quote next to this list. If a line is blank, ask. A good contractor answers all of it in writing.

• Exact model numbers for the outdoor AND indoor equipment, plus the AHRI certificate number showing they are a matched system.
• Efficiency ratings: SEER2 for cooling, HSPF2 for a heat pump, AFUE for a furnace.
• System size in tons, and how they decided on it.
• Permit: who pulls it, and is it in the price.
• Field verification (still called HERS testing, now under the state ECC program): is it scheduled and paid for.
• Ductwork: replaced, sealed, or reused as is.
• Electrical: new circuit, disconnect, or panel work, and what it costs if needed.
• Refrigerant line set: new or reused.
• Thermostat and haul-away of the old equipment.
• Labor warranty: how many years, in writing.
• Deposit and payment schedule.
• If you finance: is the financed total the same as the cash price.

When one quote is way lower

Sometimes it's just a leaner company. Good. But check the list above first. The most common reasons a quote comes in way under everyone else: no permit, a smaller system than the others quoted, old ductwork or line set reused without saying so, or a one year labor warranty where the others gave five or ten.

None of that makes it a bad quote automatically. It makes it a different quote. Compare the same thing.

Want a second set of eyes?

Send us the quote you got through our contact page and we'll walk you through what's in it and what's different from ours. No pressure either way. If theirs is the better deal for your house, we'll say so.

Questions people ask

More guides

• Repair or replace? An honest checklist
• Heat pump vs gas furnace in Los Angeles
• Do you need a permit to replace your AC in Los Angeles?
• The LADWP heat pump rebate, explained