A new central air conditioner costs $5,800 to $14,400 installed, with $8,750 as the average, according to Fixr’s August 2025 guide. Size, SEER2 tier and ducts move your quote inside that range. Ducts matter most. We replace central AC in Eugene, Springfield and Salem. Eugene and Lane County: (541) 461-2101. Salem and Marion County: (503) 581-9982.
Those are national figures. Every range below carries its source and month. We quote you a firm price in writing once a technician has seen your house. Not before.
How much does a new central air conditioner cost by size?
A new central air conditioner costs $3,650 to $14,000 installed, rising with size from 1.5 tons to 5 tons in Fixr’s 2025 guide.
| Size | Installed range |
|---|---|
| 1.5 ton (18,000 Btu/hr) | $3,650 to $6,250 |
| 2 ton | $4,250 to $7,500 |
| 2.5 ton | $4,500 to $8,000 |
| 3 ton | $5,000 to $9,150 |
| 3.5 ton | $5,450 to $9,700 |
| 4 ton | $6,950 to $11,600 |
| 5 ton | $7,800 to $14,000 |
Fixr’s national installed ranges for mid-efficiency units, 2025 guide.
Each half ton adds equipment and labor. A ton is 12,000 Btu/hr of cooling, which is why Fixr lists 1.5 tons as 18,000. We size every replacement from a load calculation, so find your row there. Your house decides it. Not the label on the old unit.
What size air conditioner do I need?
The size you need comes from a Manual J load calculation of your house, not from square footage or the old unit’s label.
ACCA’s Manual J measures floor area, insulation, windows and their orientation, duct location and the number of people in the house, then returns the tonnage. Our technicians check each of those on the visit. We run the numbers through Manual J. Your old unit is a poor guide. Houses get new windows and added insulation, and many old systems were guessed in the first place.
ENERGY STAR covers the sizing check in its guide, and we follow it by checking the size with Manual J before we quote. An oversized unit switches on and off often and wears out sooner. Bigger is not safer. Once you know the tonnage, the next price lever is the efficiency rating.
Is a high SEER2 air conditioner worth paying for in Oregon?
A high SEER2 rating pays back slowly in the Willamette Valley, where the hot stretch runs mostly through July and August.
SEER2 is the seasonal cooling rating under the test procedure in force since January 2023. EER2 is the same idea at peak heat, the hardest hour of the year. The Department of Energy’s 2023 standards FAQ sets the minimum for a split-system air conditioner in the North region at 13.4 SEER2. Its Southeast and Southwest regions are lists of states, Oregon is on neither, and those regions carry 14.3. DOE requires every split-system heat pump to meet 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2.
| SEER2 | Unit only, 3 ton |
|---|---|
| 13.4 (federal floor here) | $1,725 to $3,600 |
| 15.3 | $2,875 to $6,000 |
| 17.2 | $4,100 to $7,800 |
| 19.1 | $5,750 to $9,600 |
| 20 | $6,325 to $10,800 |
Fixr’s 2025 guide, equipment only, before labor.
Your compressor runs a few weeks a year here, so a top-tier rating earns its money back slowly. That’s the catch. We check your cooling hours before we quote a tier. We quote a mid-tier unit when you only need cooling. We price a heat pump when you want efficiency that also helps in winter. The unit is only part of the bill. What else goes into it?
What else goes into the price of a replacement air conditioner?
A replacement quote also carries the indoor coil, line set, electrical work, permit and old-unit removal, and national guides price each one separately.
Our crews install the new condenser on its pad. We run the line set to the indoor coil, then check the disconnect and breaker. Read the drawing left to right. Every pin matches a row in this table.
| Item | Range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Labor with existing ducts (lines and pad included) | $1,250 to $3,000 | Fixr, Aug 2025 |
| New indoor coil | $400 to $2,500 | PickHVAC, May 2026 |
| Both coils as a matched pair | $1,200 to $4,500 | PickHVAC, May 2026 |
| Line set | $150 to $600 | PickHVAC, May 2026 |
| 200-amp service upgrade | $1,300 to $3,000 | Fixr, Jan 2026 |
| Permit and inspection | $50 to $300 | Fixr, Jan 2026 |
| Old unit removal | $150 to $250 | Fixr, Aug 2025 |
| Ductwork where none exists | $3,600 to $9,500 | Fixr, Aug 2025 |
Oregon requires a mechanical permit for an AC or heat pump replacement, and we pull it as the installing contractor. Panel work matters in older Eugene and Salem houses with small panels and no room for a new 240-volt breaker. Our technicians inspect yours on the visit. Crawlspace and attic air handlers add access time too. Tight spaces cost more. We recover the refrigerant from the old unit and haul the unit away.
Damaged ducts move a bid the most. By a lot. Check them first. Fixr puts a 3-ton replacement at $7,500 to $16,000 when the ducts are bad, against $5,500 to $10,000 when they are sound. We check your ducts before we write the number for that reason. Always.
Can I replace just the outdoor air conditioner unit?
Sometimes you can replace only the outdoor unit, but a new R-454B or R-32 condenser needs an indoor coil rated for that refrigerant.
Manufacturers have built equipment with A2L refrigerant, R-454B or R-32, since 2025, so new R-410A condensers are no longer made. Existing R-410A systems can still be serviced and recharged. Pairing matters. A new condenser pairs with an indoor coil rated for its refrigerant, and your old coil may not be. The AHRI certificate shows the match, so ask us for it before you agree to a condenser-only swap. Don’t skip that. We install Ruud and Rheem equipment, and we check the AHRI match for your indoor coil before we quote an outdoor-only job.
Does a different kind of system make more sense for your house? That depends on how you heat it.
Is a heat pump better than an air conditioner in Oregon?
For most Willamette Valley homes with sound ducts, a heat pump is the better buy when your furnace is also due for replacement, because it heats and cools.
In cooling mode the two systems run the same cycle. In winter the heat pump’s reversing valve flips the refrigerant flow, so the outdoor coil gathers heat and the indoor coil releases it. That’s the whole trick. ENERGY STAR describes heat pumps as serving “double duty.” A central AC leaves winter to a furnace. We install ducted heat pumps as well as central AC, and we quote the two side by side.
PickHVAC’s September 2025 guide gives the national picture.
| System | Typical | High efficiency |
|---|---|---|
| Central air conditioner | $4,500 to $9,000 | $8,000 to $14,000 |
| Ducted heat pump | $6,500 to $13,500 | $9,000 to $18,000 |
The premium for a heat pump runs roughly $2,000 to $4,500 across the typical range. That gap shrinks when your furnace is also old. Sometimes it vanishes. Fixr lists a furnace at $4,800 on average, with central AC adding $5,000 to $12,000 on top. PickHVAC says heat pumps “often win on operating cost” in mild winters and names the Pacific Northwest, which describes most Willamette Valley winter days. We size a heat pump for cold nights. We cover that and utility rebates in our heat pump cost breakdown. The federal 25C tax credit ended on December 31, 2025, so your utility’s programs are the money to check. They differ by utility.
Which air conditioner should I choose: single-stage, two-stage or variable speed?
Choose by ducts first, then by stages: a single-stage unit runs flat out, a two-stage unit shifts between two speeds and a variable-speed unit adjusts continuously.
Sound ducts point you to a central AC or a ducted heat pump. No ducts, an addition, or a room that never cools right points to ductless, covered in the mini-split pros, cons and cost guide and the mini-split vs central air comparison.
Then pick the compressor. We install single-stage, two-stage and variable-speed units, and we match the stage to how your house cools. A two-stage unit runs on low most hours. It shifts up on the hottest afternoons. A variable-speed unit gives steadier temperature, quieter running and better humidity control, and the top SEER2 tiers are usually variable speed. Fixr does not price stages on their own, so we quote them against each other on your house. You see both.
Smart thermostat compatibility matters too. A two-stage or variable unit needs a matching control, so our technicians check it before we order. Installation quality counts as much as the label, because charge and airflow decide whether the rating shows up on your bill, and our installers check both. Our AC installation and repair page lists what we install. Is your current unit already failing? Then the last question comes first.
Is it better to repair or replace a 12-year-old air conditioner?
Replace a 12-year-old air conditioner when one repair costs more than half of a new system, or when repairs keep repeating.
The Department of Energy’s Building America guide sets the half-the-cost rule. ENERGY STAR flags equipment “more than 10 years old or needs frequent repairs” as a candidate for replacement, so a 12-year-old unit passes the first check. Easy.
Then look at the refrigerant, because we check the nameplate before we quote. R-22 production and import ended on January 1, 2020, and EPA expects the price to rise as stock runs down, so a leak on an R-22 system is a replacement conversation. Still, it’s your call. EPA also says you are not required to replace R-22 equipment, so the choice is yours. We service R-410A systems. Refrigerant is getting pricier. Two repairs in one summer on a decade-old unit usually settle it. Stop there. We quote the repair and the replacement side by side so you can hold them against the half-the-cost line, and the warning signs are in how long air conditioners last.
What should a written air conditioner quote list?
A written air conditioner quote should list the model numbers, the ratings, the load calculation, the permit, the removal of the old unit and every exclusion.
Ask for these items before you sign.
- Model numbers for the condenser and indoor coil, with the AHRI match.
- SEER2 and EER2 ratings for the matched system.
- The Manual J result that set the tonnage.
- The mechanical permit and inspection.
- Removal and disposal of the old unit.
- Warranty terms.
- What the price excludes, such as a panel upgrade or duct repair.
If a bid gives you only a tonnage and a total, ask for the rest. We carry each of these lines in our own quotes.
Frequently asked questions
Does a new AC need a permit in Oregon?
Yes. Oregon requires a mechanical permit for an AC or heat pump replacement, and we pull it as the installing contractor. The fee and inspection come with the city or county.
Is there still a federal tax credit for a new air conditioner?
No. The 25C credit ended on December 31, 2025. Check your utility’s own programs, because EWEB, Springfield Utility Board, Salem Electric and Energy Trust serve different customers. We cover the heat pump rebates in our heat pump cost breakdown.
Does a bigger air conditioner cool better?
No. ENERGY STAR warns that an oversized unit switches on and off often and wears out sooner. We size every unit with a Manual J load calculation.
What does a new AC cost if my house has no ducts?
Ductwork where none exists runs $3,600 to $9,500 in Fixr’s 2025 guide, on top of the equipment. Ductless systems skip that cost, and we cover both in our mini-split guides.
Do damaged ducts raise the price of a new air conditioner?
Yes, by a lot. Fixr puts a 3-ton replacement at $7,500 to $16,000 with damaged ducts, against $5,500 to $10,000 with sound ducts. We inspect your ducts before we quote.
Can I still service an R-410A air conditioner?
Yes. We service existing R-410A systems and recharge them, though new equipment since 2025 uses R-454B or R-32 and R-410A refrigerant is getting pricier.
Get a firm price from a technician who has seen your house
Every range above is a national guide, and the guides disagree because they price different homes. We run your load, check your ducts and panel, and write the number. Call (541) 461-2101 for Eugene, Springfield and Lane County, or (503) 581-9982 for Salem, Keizer and Marion and Polk counties.
