We Replaced Our Entire HVAC System Last Summer. Here’s Every Dollar We Spent.

SEO Title: Whole-House HVAC Replacement Cost Breakdown: What We Really Paid | ProCraft Meta Description: After 22 years, our HVAC finally gave out in August. Here’s the full cost breakdown, timeline, how we chose our contractor, and whether we’d do anything differently.

Our HVAC system died on August 9th. I know the date because my wife texted me at work: “AC is making a grinding noise and the house is 84 degrees. It’s August. Fix this.”

The system was original to the house - a 22-year-old Carrier unit that had been limping along for at least three summers. Two years ago we’d had it serviced and were told it had “maybe a season or two left.” We’d been playing a game of chicken with a full replacement ever since.

We lost the game in August.

The Decision: Repair vs. Replace

The first HVAC tech who came out quoted us $1,100 to replace the compressor - the immediate failure point. But he also told us that with a 22-year-old system, we were likely looking at cascading failures over the next 12-18 months. The heat exchanger was showing stress cracks. The evaporator coil was corroding. The refrigerant was R-22 (Freon), which hasn’t been manufactured since 2020 and costs roughly $100-150 per pound to source used.

Repairing the compressor made no financial sense.

We called ProCraft for a second opinion and compared bids from their HVAC contractor marketplace.

What We Chose and Why

ProCraft’s comfort specialist spent about 90 minutes at our house - longer than any of the other consultations we’d had. He did a Manual J load calculation (I had to Google that; it’s a formal assessment of your home’s heating and cooling needs based on square footage, insulation, window placement, climate zone, etc.) rather than just matching the tonnage of our old unit.

Turns out our old system was slightly oversized for our house, which had contributed to humidity problems we’d lived with for years.

We went with a Carrier two-stage 3-ton heat pump system with a variable-speed air handler and a smart thermostat. Here’s the full cost breakdown:

ItemCost
Carrier 24ACC636A003 (3-ton condenser)$2,840
Carrier FV4CNF003 (variable-speed air handler)$1,620
Honeywell T9 Smart Thermostat$180
Refrigerant lines (new copper)$340
Electrical disconnect/whip replacement$210
Plenum modification (air handler slightly larger)$380
Disposal of old equipment$0 (included)
Labor (2-day install, 3-person crew)$2,200
Permits and inspection fees$185
Total$7,955

We also qualified for a $2,000 federal tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (heat pump systems installed in 2024-2025 are eligible) and a $300 rebate through our utility company. Effective out-of-pocket after credits: $5,655.

Timeline

  • Day 1 (Monday): Assessment, quote, equipment ordered
  • Day 4 (Thursday): Equipment arrived at ProCraft warehouse, install scheduled
  • Day 6 (Saturday): Day 1 of install - old equipment removal, new air handler set, refrigerant lines run
  • Day 7 (Sunday): Day 2 of install - condenser set, electrical, startup commissioning, thermostat configuration
  • Day 8: City inspection (passed first time)

Eight days from a broken AC to a fully inspected, running system - in August, which is not exactly slow season for HVAC contractors.

Six Months Later

We are genuinely shocked at the difference. Our electricity bills from September through February averaged $140/month. The previous year, same months, we averaged $197. That’s $57/month in savings, or roughly $684/year - meaning the system pays for itself (against the old baseline) in about 8 years.

The humidity issue is also gone. The two-stage compressor runs longer at lower capacity instead of short-cycling, which gives it time to dehumidify the air properly. Our house feels different in a way that’s hard to describe but immediately noticeable.

What I’d Tell Anyone Facing This Decision

Don’t wait for catastrophic failure in August. We had two summers of warning and ignored them, which meant we made a $8,000 decision under pressure in the hottest month of the year.

Get a Manual J calculation from anyone you’re seriously considering. If a contractor just asks “what size is your current system” and quotes you the same tonnage back, that’s a red flag.

And look into the federal tax credits before you sign anything - the eligibility rules have quirks (income limits, equipment efficiency minimums) but most standard heat pump systems qualify.

Last updated: April 2026 | ProCraft Editorial Team