Guide / HVAC quotes, United States

HVAC replacement quote: what each line should say

Toshikatsu Oga / October 16, 2026

The five kinds of lines
Step 1: who decided the size?
Step 2: the equipment, by model number
Step 3: labor hours times a wage
Step 4: line set, pad, disconnect and the other small lines
Step 5: the permit, credits and rebates
Warning signs in the wording, not the numbers
What to ask the contractor, in one message
Questions
Sources

An HVAC replacement quote is five kinds of lines, and the size decides the biggest one. Equipment, labor, materials, permit and disposal. The equipment line is priced by capacity in tons (one ton is 12,000 Btu per hour), and the model code many cities adopt says equipment is sized with ACCA Manual S or another approved method, based on loads from ACCA Manual J or another approved method (IRC M1401.3). The labor line can be set against BLS wages: $29.33 median and $45.78 at the 90th percentile per hour nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The equipment can be checked against its AHRI certificate (AHRI). And a quote that subtracts a federal heat pump credit is out of date: Section 25C is not allowed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 (IRS).

The five kinds of lines

Kind	Typical wording	What you can check
Equipment	Heat pump, condenser, air handler, coil, furnace, 3 tons, 16 SEER2	Size against a load calculation; model numbers against the AHRI certificate
Labor	Installation, 2 technicians x 2 days	Hours times BLS wages, as plain wages
Materials	Line set, pad, disconnect, whip, thermostat, drain line	No public price; ask new or reused, and quantities
Permit	Mechanical permit, city fees	The city's fee schedule and the permit number
Disposal	Haul-away, refrigerant recovery	No public price; ask what it includes

Step 1: who decided the size?

Tonnage sets the price of the largest line, so the first question is how it was chosen. Section M1401.3 of the 2021 International Residential Code reads: heating and cooling equipment "shall be sized in accordance with ACCA Manual S or other approved sizing methodologies based on building loads calculated in accordance with ACCA Manual J or other approved heating and cooling calculation methodologies" (ICC). Whether your city adopted that section, and how it treats a replacement, is a question for your building department.

"Sized to match the existing unit" repeats whatever went in last time, right or wrong; new windows, insulation or duct work since then all move the load. Natural Resources Canada's Air-Source Heat Pump Sizing and Selection Guide, listed in the Department of Energy's Building Science Education Solution Center, covers heat pump sizing (DOE listing). Ask for the Manual J result, or whatever method was used, in writing. Our Teardown 02 walks through a 4-ton quote that never says how 4 tons was chosen.

Step 2: the equipment, by model number

A quote that says "16 SEER2 heat pump" without model numbers cannot be checked or compared. Ask for the model number of every piece: outdoor unit, indoor coil or air handler, and furnace if there is one. For split systems, AHRI certifies the matched system, not the individual units. In the AHRI Directory you select the matched system and "the directory will generate an AHRI Certificate of Product Ratings that includes the system's certified ratings", and each system has a unique Certified Reference Number (AHRI). Ask the contractor for that number; it settles which ratings you are paying for.

Ask too which refrigerant the system uses and when the equipment was manufactured. In a final rule published May 26, 2026 and effective July 27, 2026, EPA removed the January 1, 2026 installation deadline for new residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump systems that use refrigerants with a global warming potential of 700 or more, where all specified components were manufactured in or imported into the U.S. before January 1, 2025 (Federal Register 2026-10387; Holland & Knight summary). Such systems can still be installed, so the quote should say which kind you are getting.

Step 3: labor hours times a wage

Find the crew size and the days, or the stated hours, and multiply. The BLS May 2025 national wage for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021) is $29.33 median and $45.78 at the 90th percentile per hour (BLS OEWS). Two technicians for two 8-hour days is 32 hours, or $939 to $1,465 in plain wages. That is pay, not a billing rate: insurance, payroll taxes, trucks, tools, overhead and profit sit on top. Where a state publishes a loading rule, the reference can include them; for Austin, TX, our trades hourly rates guide gives $55.33 to $79.78 per loaded crew hour for HVAC mechanics (mean to 90th percentile). Use the figure to ask what the labor line covers, not to call it high.

Step 4: line set, pad, disconnect and the other small lines

These lines have no public benchmark, so the check is what they contain. Is the refrigerant line set new or reused, and how many feet? Is the pad new? Is the electrical disconnect and whip being replaced? Which thermostat model? Is the condensate drain included? A contractor with a priced quote answers each in a word; a lump sum with none of these named is a line to ask about.

Step 5: the permit, credits and rebates

Many cities require a mechanical permit for a system replacement; ask whether the permit line covers it and for the permit number once it is pulled. Then check any credit the quote subtracts. The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (25C) "will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025" (IRS FAQ), so a 2026 installation that nets out a federal heat pump credit is counting money you will not get. Utility and state rebates may still exist; ask for the program name and amount in writing, and whether the contractor or you files for it.

Warning signs in the wording, not the numbers

"You need a bigger unit" with no load calculation. Bigger is not better; ask for the Manual J result (IRC M1401.3).
"This price is only good today." Most sales of $25 or more made at your home carry a three business day right to cancel under the FTC Cooling-Off Rule, with exceptions such as a genuine emergency where you waive the right in writing (16 CFR Part 429). See what to do when the price is only good today.
"After your federal tax credit." Section 25C ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 (IRS).
Brand and SEER2 but no model numbers. Without them the ratings cannot be checked (AHRI).

What to ask the contractor, in one message

The Manual J load calculation, or the method used, showing the size.
Model numbers for the outdoor unit, indoor coil or air handler and furnace, and the AHRI Certified Reference Number for the match.
Which refrigerant the system uses and the equipment's manufacture date.
Crew size and days behind the labor line, and what else the line includes.
New or reused line set, and the feet; whether the pad, disconnect and thermostat are new, and which models.
Whether the permit line covers the mechanical permit, and any rebate by program name and amount.

If you would rather not do it line by line, upload the quote and we do it, with every source and formula printed beside every number. We are paid by homeowners only and take no fee from contractors. Check a quote from $39, or get a free teardown first.

Questions

How do I know if my AC or heat pump quote is too high?

Not from the total. Split it into equipment, labor, materials, permit and disposal. Ask how the size was chosen (Manual J), get model numbers and the AHRI Certified Reference Number, check labor hours against BLS wages, and ask what the small lines contain.

Do I need a Manual J load calculation for a replacement?

Ask your city. The 2021 International Residential Code, Section M1401.3, calls for sizing with ACCA Manual S or another approved method, based on loads from ACCA Manual J or another approved method. Adoption, and how it applies to replacements, varies by city.

Is there still a federal tax credit for a heat pump in 2026?

No. The IRS says the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (Section 25C) is not allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Utility and state rebates may still exist.

Can a contractor still install an R-410A system?

Yes, if all its specified components were manufactured in or imported into the U.S. before January 1, 2025. EPA removed the January 1, 2026 installation deadline for such residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump systems in a final rule effective July 27, 2026. Ask which refrigerant your system uses.

What does an HVAC technician earn per hour?

The BLS May 2025 national wage for HVAC mechanics and installers is $29.33 median and $45.78 at the 90th percentile per hour. That is pay, not a billing rate.

Sources

Every figure above links to the public record it comes from. Wages were looked up in USCCDB v1.0, which carries the BLS file as published. Agency pages, reports and rules are quoted as published on October 16, 2026; check the source for changes.

How we work: HORIZON SHIELD is paid by homeowners only. We take no referral fee, listing fee or commission from any contractor, distributor, lender or insurer, so the only way we earn is by finding what is in the quote. Every report prints the source and the formula beside every number, and a sha256 receipt so the contractor can confirm the report was not altered. About the service.