What AC repair and replacement actually cost, and why we quote instead of listing

Why we don't publish a price list

Almost every AC company in South Florida publishes a cost page with tidy ranges on it. We used to as well. We took ours down, and the reason is worth explaining because it tells you something about how we quote.

A published price range for AC work is wrong more often than it is right. The same failed part prices differently depending on the system it sits in, the refrigerant that system uses, whether the part is still manufactured, and whether a technician can reach it in ten minutes or has to pull half the air handler apart first. So a published range is either narrow and misleading, or padded so wide it tells you nothing.

What we do instead: we look at your actual system, and we give you a flat written price you approve before anyone picks up a tool. No hourly meter. No discovering a second number halfway through. If you want the figure before we drive out, call and describe what is happening — we will tell you honestly what the likely range is for your situation rather than what a chart says.

What actually sets the cost of an AC repair

If you are trying to sanity-check a quote you have already been given, these are the variables that legitimately move it. Anything outside this list is worth asking about.

• Which component failed. Electrical components are at the low end of the range. Sealed-system work — compressors, evaporator and condenser coils — is at the high end, because the refrigerant circuit has to be opened, recovered and recharged under EPA rules.
• What refrigerant your system uses. R-22 was phased out of production in 2020. Systems still running it cost substantially more to service, and that alone often tips an older system from "repair" to "replace."
• Whether the part is still made. Proprietary control boards on premium variable-speed equipment are a different cost class from a universal part carried on the truck.
• Access. An air handler in a garage is a different job from the same air handler in a condo closet, an attic in August, or a roof deck that needs building management and a reserved elevator.
• Whether the failure caused secondary damage. A clogged drain line caught early is a minor service call. The same line caught after it has soaked drywall and flooring is not an AC bill any more.
• Diagnosis versus guessing. The most expensive repair in this business is the second one, after somebody replaced a part that was never the problem.

What sets the cost of a replacement

Replacement is the bigger decision, and the range between two honest quotes on the same house can be genuinely wide for legitimate reasons:

• Tonnage. Determined by a Manual J load calculation, not by square footage and not by copying the old unit. South Florida is full of oversized systems that cool fast, shut off before they have dehumidified, and leave the house cold and clammy. Right-sizing sometimes means a smaller system than what came out.
• Efficiency tier. Higher SEER2 costs more up front and less monthly. In a climate that runs AC nine or ten months a year, the payback period here is shorter than it would be almost anywhere else in the country.
• Ductwork. On a 1960s or 70s home with original attic duct, spending part of the budget on sealing or replacing the duct frequently buys more comfort than spending it on a higher efficiency rating. No equipment recovers air that never reaches the room.
• Electrical. A lot of older Hialeah, Miami and Fort Lauderdale homes still run service that will not carry a modern condenser. We check the panel during the estimate so this is in the written price, not a surprise on install day.
• Access and logistics. A driveway pad is one job. A high-rise with a reserved service elevator, a roof deck needing a crane, or a historic district requiring design review on visible equipment are each another.
• Permits and association requirements. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach all require permits for change-outs, and in Miami-Dade and Broward the outdoor equipment needs product approval for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. Most condo and HOA communities additionally require an approved-contractor packet.
• Coastal exposure. On the beach or the Intracoastal, corrosion-resistant equipment or coil coating costs more up front and routinely adds years before the outdoor unit has to be replaced again.

Why national cost averages mislead you here

The cost figures you find on national home-services sites are averages across the whole country, and South Florida departs from them in specific ways:

• Runtime. Systems here run nine to ten months a year rather than three or four. Components wear on a different schedule and efficiency matters more.
• Salt. On a barrier island or a canal, outdoor coils corrode continuously. That is not in a national average.
• Humidity. Dehumidification performance matters as much as raw cooling capacity, which changes what equipment is actually appropriate.
• Permitting and product approval. Miami-Dade product approval requirements are among the strictest in the country. Equipment that is fine in Georgia is not necessarily permittable here.
• Association density. A large share of South Florida housing is governed by a condo board or an HOA, and that adds requirements no national average accounts for.

How to compare quotes without a price list

You should get two or three quotes. Here is how to read them, and we would ask us the same questions:

1. "Is the permit included, and what is your CAC license number?" Florida requires a state CAC license and a permit for change-outs. When a quote is dramatically cheaper than the others, this is usually why — and unpermitted work becomes the homeowner's problem at resale and during insurance inspections, not the contractor's.
2. "Did you run a Manual J load calculation, or size it off the old unit?" Ask to see the number. Copying the old tonnage is how a house ends up cold and humid at the same time.
3. "What exactly does the labor warranty cover, in writing?" Manufacturer parts warranties are broadly similar and generally require registration. Labor warranties are where companies genuinely differ, and where vague answers stay vague.

If another company's answers are better than ours, take theirs. We would rather lose a job than win one by being the only vague quote in the pile.

How our pricing works

• Flat price, approved before we start. You see the number in writing and agree to it before anyone picks up a tool. No hourly meter.
• If something changes, we stop. If opening the system reveals a different problem, you get a new written price before any more work, and you can say no.
• New customers: $250 off a complete AC system replacement.
• Permit included and stated on replacement quotes, along with the performing contractor's CAC license number.
• Free second opinion on any replacement quote from another company.
• Financing for qualified buyers. See financing.