New A/C, sized properly.That's most of the job.

For a typical 2,000 sq ft home in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Hudson, Morris or Union: a 14.3 SEER2 single-stage runs $6,995–$9,995. A 15–16 SEER2 two-stage, which is what most homes end up with, is $9,995–$13,995. A 17–20 SEER2 variable-speed system is $12,995–$18,995. Adding ductwork is $2,500–$6,000 on top. A heat pump conversion is $11,995–$22,995 before the federal credit and NJ rebates.

The Manual J load calculation, the outdoor condenser, the indoor evaporator coil, a new line set, refrigerant, a standard programmable thermostat, the township permit, coordinating the inspection, registering the manufacturer warranty, haul-away of the old equipment, sealed gas and electrical connections to code, and a 1-year workmanship guarantee. Anything optional gets listed separately so you can see it.

Replacing an existing system on the same ductwork is one day, roughly 7am to 4pm. A new install using existing ducts is also a day. If it needs new ductwork it's two to three days. A heat pump conversion is one to two. You get the timeline in writing at quote stage rather than finding out on the morning.

May to June, or September to October. Scheduling is one to two weeks instead of three to six, manufacturer rebates from Rheem, Carrier and Trane usually peak in spring and again in October, and equipment is actually in stock. The worst time is the middle of a July heat wave, when distributors run out of common three-ton condensers within hours of the forecast.

Yes, and we do it constantly, but expect three to seven days in the July–August peak because equipment availability becomes the bottleneck rather than our schedule. If your system is struggling at the end of a summer, booking for September is much cheaper than gambling on next June.

Yes — 0% APR for 12 months on jobs over $1,500 through GreenSky or Synchrony, and 12 to 84-month fixed-APR plans on larger work. Soft credit check with no impact to apply, and approvals usually come back inside a minute. It stacks with rebates and tax credits.

The rough rule for North Jersey homes with average insulation is one ton per 500 to 600 square feet, so 1,500 sq ft lands around 2.5 to 3 tons and 2,500 sq ft around 4 to 5. That's a starting point and nothing more. We run a proper Manual J using your insulation values, window orientation, ceiling height, occupancy and climate zone, because most systems installed by matching the old unit's tonnage end up oversized.

It's the industry-standard load calculation published by the ACCA. It accounts for square footage, insulation R-values, window orientation and solar gain, air infiltration, internal heat from people and appliances, and the local climate zone. Skipping it and matching tonnage to the old unit is the number one cause of short-cycling, humidity problems and premature compressor failure. Ask every contractor quoting you whether they run one.

Only if it needs it. We test static pressure and airflow on every quote. Roughly 30% of the replacement jobs we look at need duct cleaning or sealing, about 10% need partial replacement, and around 60% are fine as they are. Ducts leaking 20 to 30% are common in pre-1980 North Jersey homes and they quietly waste money every summer. We show you the measurements.

Fifteen to twenty years for the outdoor condenser and twenty to twenty-five for the indoor air handler, installed properly and maintained. Humidity and salt-air corrosion take two to four years off that compared with a dry climate. A cheap install — no load calc, oversized, no permit, no annual maintenance — typically dies somewhere between eight and twelve.

Replace if two or more of these are true: it's over fifteen years old; it runs on R-22, which hasn't been manufactured since 2020; repairs have been over $500 a year for two years running; bills are climbing 10% a summer with no change in use; the compressor has failed; a coil leak has been diagnosed; or it's making a noise it didn't used to. We'll inspect and tell you straight.

Modern cold-climate heat pumps — Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat, Carrier Infinity Greenspeed, Rheem Endeavor — work efficiently down to about 5°F, so they're genuinely viable in North Jersey now. One system does heating and cooling, bills drop if you're currently on oil or propane, and there's a federal credit up to $2,000 plus NJ Clean Energy rebates up to $1,500. The downside is $3,000 to $5,000 more up front and you still want backup heat for the coldest nights.

In the order we recommend them: Rheem for the value-to-performance ratio with a 10-year parts warranty — we're a Pro Partner. Carrier for build quality and the deepest dealer network in the state. Trane for longevity near the shore where salt air is a factor. Lennox for top-tier variable-speed efficiency. Bryant is Carrier-built at slightly lower cost. For a mid-budget home, Rheem is the pick.

Often, yes. A modern condenser needs a matched indoor coil and air handler to actually reach its rated SEER2. Doing both in one visit saves $800 to $1,500 in labour against two separate jobs. Manufacturer rebates and warranties are usually richer on matched systems. And if the furnace is over fifteen, it's likely to go within a few years of the A/C anyway.

Yes. The NJ Uniform Construction Code requires a mechanical permit for any new install or full replacement, typically $75 to $250 depending on the township, and most jobs trigger an electrical permit at $50 to $150 plus a post-install inspection. We file same-day and coordinate the inspector. Installing without one voids the manufacturer warranty and causes problems when you sell.

Federal: up to $600 on high-efficiency A/C at 16+ SEER2, up to $2,000 on a qualifying heat pump. NJ Clean Energy: $300 to $1,500 on SEER2 16+ systems. PSE&G and JCP&L add $100 to $500 on ENERGY STAR equipment. Manufacturers run spring promotions worth $500 to $1,800. We file the paperwork rather than handing you forms.

Premium Rheem, Carrier, Trane and Lennox models carry 10 years on parts and 12 on the compressor, provided it's registered within 60 days — which we do automatically. Some heat pumps go to 12 years parts with a lifetime compressor. Our workmanship warranty is 1 year, 2 on premium installs. The trap worth knowing about is that warranties are void if registration is late or the job was done without a permit.