How to read an AC replacement quote: the twelve lines that should be on it

Print this and lay the quote next to it.

1. 1Model numbers for the outdoor unit, the indoor coil or air handler, and the furnace if one is included. Without them you cannot compare quotes or verify the efficiency rating.
2. 2Tonnage, and how it was chosen. A load calculation (Manual J) uses your square footage, windows, insulation and orientation. 'Same as the old one' is not a method; builder sizing is often wrong.
3. 3SEER2 for cooling and HSPF2 or AFUE for heating, as a number. Texas minimum is 14.3 SEER2.
4. 4The refrigerant. New systems use R-454B or R-32. A quote that names R-410A is quoting old stock.
5. 5A matched system. The outdoor unit and the indoor coil should be a manufacturer-matched pair with an AHRI certificate number; the efficiency rating only applies to matched pairs.
6. 6The line set: reused and flushed, or replaced. Reuse is fine when it is the right size and clean; the quote should say which.
7. 7Ductwork. A duct leakage test, sealing at the plenum and boots, and any resizing of the return. A new system on bad ducts underperforms from day one.
8. 8The city permit and the inspection, listed and included. Every one of our five cities requires a mechanical permit for a replacement.
9. 9Electrical and drain: a new disconnect, a breaker check, the condensate drain with a float switch and a secondary pan in the attic.
10. 10The thermostat, if one is included, and whether it is compatible with staging on a two-stage or variable system.
11. 11The warranty, split clearly: manufacturer parts (usually 10 years when registered), compressor (sometimes longer), and the installer's labor warranty, which is where companies differ most.
12. 12Disposal of the old equipment, and the start date and duration of the job.

For a typical three-ton split system in Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen or The Colony, installed prices run roughly $6,500 for a single-stage system with a matched coil to $13,000 and above for a variable-speed heat pump or dual-fuel system with duct work and filtration. These are market ranges, not a promise, and the right comparison is between quotes that specify the same scope. A $7,000 quote with no duct work and no permit is not cheaper than a $9,000 quote that includes both; it is incomplete.

• Who pulls the permit and schedules the inspection, and is the company registered with the city
• Will you do a load calculation, and may I see it
• Will you test the ducts before and after
• Who is the licensed contractor the work is performed under, and what is the TDLR number (it should be on the quote)
• What is your labor warranty, in writing
• Are your technicians paid commission on what they sell

Today-only pricing, a free system with a membership, a refrigerant rule that supposedly forces replacement, a 'good, better, best' sheet where only 'best' is explained, and a technician who diagnoses the failure and opens the financing app in the same visit. None of these are automatically dishonest. All of them are reasons to take the quote home and get a second set of eyes on it.