Air Conditioning Installation

Central AC vs. Ductless: Which Is Right for Your Home?

Central air conditioning distributes cooled air through your home's duct system from a single outdoor compressor and indoor air handler. It's the most common choice for homes that already have ductwork and need whole-home cooling.

Ductless mini-split systems connect an outdoor unit to one or more wall-mounted indoor heads — no ducts required. They're ideal for older homes, additions, garages, and any space where running new ductwork is impractical. Our network contractors install both.

What Changed Recently: New Refrigerants and SEER2

Two rule changes — one in 2023, one in 2025 — have reshaped what you can actually buy, and both are worth understanding before you compare quotes.

The first is refrigerant. Under the EPA's Technology Transitions Rule, made under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, manufacturers have been unable to produce or import new residential split air conditioners and heat pumps using refrigerant above 700 global warming potential sinceJanuary 1, 2025. R-410A, the standard for two decades, sits at roughly 2,088 — so new equipment now ships with R-454B (Carrier, Trane, Rheem, Lennox, Bosch) orR-32 (Daikin, Mitsubishi, LG, Goodman, and many mini-splits) instead.

Both are classified A2L, or mildly flammable, which is why the new equipment carries different safety components and why installers need refrigerant-specific training and handling. Two practical consequences follow. Neither refrigerant is a drop-in for R-410A — the equipment itself has to be designed and safety-listed for an A2L, and operating pressures and discharge temperatures differ — so attempting a retrofit will void the equipment warranty. And your existing R-410A system is not obsolete: it can be serviced and recharged as normal, although recharge costs tend to climb as supply tightens.

The second change is how efficiency is measured. SEER2 replaced SEER as the federal test procedure in 2023. It tests at a higher external static pressure, closer to the resistance of real ductwork, so the same physical unit scores roughly 4.5–5% lower than it would have on the old scale — an old 14 SEER unit is about 13.4 SEER2. The current federal minimums for split-system air conditioners are:

• North region — 13.4 SEER2, regardless of system size
• Southeast and Southwest — 14.3 SEER2 for units under 45,000 BTU/h
• Southeast and Southwest — 13.8 SEER2 for units from 45,000 to 65,000 BTU/h
• The Southwest additionally sets EER2 minimums of 11.7 and 11.2 respectively

If a quote still describes equipment in plain SEER, ask for the SEER2 figure. Comparing one contractor's SEER against another's SEER2 will make the second look worse than it is.

Sizing: Why a Bigger Unit Is Not a Better One

The most consequential decision in an AC installation is capacity, and the most common error is fitting too much of it. An oversized system cools the air to the thermostat setpoint quickly, shuts off, and starts again a few minutes later. That short-cycling leaves the house cold and clammy, because removing humidity takes sustained run time that a system reaching setpoint in eight minutes never gets.

It also costs more twice over: a larger unit up front, and more wear on a compressor doing its heaviest work at every start. The fix is a Manual J load calculation — a room-by-room assessment of floor area, ceiling height, insulation, window area and orientation, air sealing, and local design temperatures. Replacing like-for-like on the assumption that the old unit was right repeats whatever mistake was made last time.

What's Included in Your AC Installation

• Site assessment and Manual J load calculation
• Outdoor condenser unit installation and line-set connection
• Indoor air handler or evaporator coil installation
• Electrical disconnect and refrigerant charge
• Permit application and inspection coordination
• System test, commissioning, and homeowner walk-through

Repair or Replace?

There is no single threshold, but a few signals point clearly one way. Most central systems last15–20 years with regular maintenance, so a unit past 15 is into its last stretch, and money spent on it buys less remaining time than the same money spent on a replacement. A system still running R-22, phased out of production in 2020, is expensive to recharge and worth replacing rather than repairing.

A useful comparison is the cost of the proposed repair against the age of the system: a major repair — a compressor or an evaporator coil — on a system already past 15 years rarely represents good value. Rising electricity bills with no change in use, uneven temperatures between rooms, and a system that runs continuously without reaching setpoint all point the same way.

Two caveats worth holding on to. Some of those symptoms are duct problems rather than equipment problems, and replacing the unit will not fix them. And a system replaced in an emergency, in the middle of a heat wave, is bought under time pressure and rarely at the best price — which is the argument for deciding before it fails outright.

AC Installation Cost

A central AC replacement typically costs $3,500–$8,000, depending on system size, efficiency rating, and your region. New installations with ductwork run $6,000–$15,000. Many utilities offer rebates on higher-efficiency equipment — the thresholds and amounts are set locally, so check your own utility rather than assuming a national figure.

Treat these brackets as orientation only. Access, electrical work, line-set replacement, the condition of existing ductwork, and local labor rates all move the number, and a contractor who has seen the house is the only source of a real one. On federal incentives, note that the Section 25C tax creditended for installations after December 31, 2025 under Public Law 119-21, so it does not apply to a 2026 installation.

What a Good AC Quote Includes

A proposal worth comparing says more than a price. Look for the Manual J result rather than a like-for-like capacity match, the model numbers and SEER2 ratings of both the outdoor and indoor units, and which refrigerant the system uses. Matched outdoor and indoor components matter: pairing a new condenser with an old coil rarely delivers the rated efficiency.

Then check what is included beyond the equipment — permit and inspection, line-set replacement or reuse, electrical work, condensate handling, removal of the old system, and commissioning with the measured refrigerant charge and airflow recorded. Where two quotes differ sharply, the cheaper one has usually left one of those out rather than found a better price.