Home heating and cooling
Before you agree to a whole new system, read the next 90 seconds.
The gap between a $350 repair and a $20,000 replacement is the most profitable sentence in this trade. Here is what each should cost, the certification that is legally required, and a free call to a licensed local HVAC contractor.
BestHonestPro is a free comparison resource, not a contractor. There is nothing to sign up for and we do not sell your details. When we begin connecting callers to contractors, we will be paid a referral fee by the contractor, never by you, and this line will say so.
Published cost ranges
What HVAC work should cost
These are national published ranges, not a quote for your job. Use them to judge whether the number in front of you is in the right ballpark.
Repair runs $100 to $3,000, averaging $350. Full system replacement runs $5,000 to $28,000, with $7,000 to $20,000 the typical band for a central AC and furnace in a 2,000 sq ft home.
| Labour | $100 to $250 per hour |
|---|---|
| Service call fee | $100 to $250 |
| After hours | adds $40 to $80 per hour |
| Ductwork replacement | adds up to $3,000 |
Source: Angi 2026 (repair and labour) and CBS News 2026 (replacement). View source
What moves the price
- System type. Single stage is cheapest, variable speed and cold climate heat pumps cost more up front.
- The A2L refrigerant transition, which has pushed new system prices up roughly 10 to 15 percent.
- Ductwork and electrical upgrades, plus regional labour rates.
Or have us do the legwork
Tell us the job. We will do the checking and send you the shortlist.
Free, and there is nothing to buy. A few taps, and you get the same research we would do for ourselves, written down.
Got it. The clock has started.
We will come back to you within one business day at the email you gave. If it is not there, check the spam folder before assuming we forgot.
What comes back to you
Up to three names we would call ourselves
Licensed for your state and trade, checked on the state board the day we send it, with the licence number so you can check it too.
What we verified on each one
Licence status and classification, how long the business has been registered, and whether anything shows on the state board or attorney general. If something looks wrong, we say so.
What your job should cost where you live
The published national range narrowed with what we can find for your area, so the first quote has something to sit against.
The questions to ask them, for your job
The same seven on this site plus the ones specific to your trade, in the order to ask them.
What this is not. We are not inspecting your property and we are not standing behind anyone's work. This is desk research done properly and handed to you, nothing more and nothing less.
Step one
Where to get your three names
Telling you to compare three contractors is useless if you only have one. These are the five places the three names actually come from, in the order we would use them. None of them involve us.
Your state licensing board
Every US state runs a free public search of licensed contractors, and most let you filter by trade and county. Starting here means all three of your names are licensed before you dial, which removes the single most common problem in one step.
The supply house
Call the plumbing, roofing or HVAC supply counter nearest you and ask who they would use. They know exactly who pays their bills on time and who does not, they have no stake in your job, and almost nobody thinks to ask them.
Maps, filtered properly
Search the trade plus your town, then keep only businesses with a real street address, a landline, and photographs of actual work. Skip anything with a stock photo and a mobile number only, which is what a lead broker looks like.
Your insurer, if a claim is involved
Most carriers keep a preferred contractor list. Use it as one of your three, not as the only one: the list is chosen partly for the carrier's convenience, and your interests and theirs are not identical.
The neighbour with the same problem
The most reliable source there is, and the least scalable. If someone on your street had this exact job done in the last two years, that is your best single name.
Your three calls
Call three. Ask all of them the same seven questions.
You cannot tell an honest contractor from a dishonest one by looking, and neither can we. What you can do is ask every one of them the same things in the same order, and watch where the answers stop matching. That is a comparison you can run yourself in twenty minutes, and it is worth more than anybody's badge.
Are you licensed for this work in my state, and what is your licence number?
Can you email me a certificate of insurance for general liability and workers compensation?
Who actually does the work, your own employees or subcontractors, and are they covered by your policy?
Will you put the scope in writing before any money changes hands, including what is NOT included?
What is your call-out or diagnostic fee, and does it come off the job if I go ahead?
What is your workmanship warranty in years, and is that yours or the manufacturer’s?
When can you start, and what is the most likely thing that would delay it?
Then the ones that only matter for this job
What diagnostic readings led you to replacement rather than repair?
What is your EPA Section 608 certification type?
Ask all three the same questions in the same order. The spread in the answers tells you more than the spread in the prices. Two quotes cannot tell you who is wrong. Three can.
The comparison sheet
Screenshot this, or copy it onto paper before you dial. Fill one column per contractor while you are still on the call, never afterwards from memory.
Swipe the table sideways to reach columns two and three.
| Pro 1 | Pro 2 | Pro 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence number (and did it check out) | |||
| Certificate of insurance received | |||
| Own crew or subcontractors | |||
| Written scope, with exclusions | |||
| Call-out fee, credited or not | |||
| Workmanship warranty, in years | |||
| Earliest start date | |||
| Total price |
Before you say yes
Five things to check yourself
You can verify all five without a single phone call to us. That is the point. An honest contractor will hand you every one of these without being asked twice.
EPA Section 608 certification
This is not optional. Under 40 CFR part 82 subpart F, technicians who service equipment that could release ozone depleting refrigerants must be certified. Ask which type. Type 2 covers high pressure residential systems.
State HVAC contractor licence
Verify the number with your state agency. NASCLA lists them at nascla.org/search.
NATE certification
The Department of Energy describes NATE as the largest non profit certification body for HVAC technicians. You can verify a technician ID at natex.org.
General liability and workers compensation certificates
Ask for the documents.
A written estimate naming model, tonnage, labour and permits
Including who pulls the permit. The FTC warns about contractors who ask you to obtain permits yourself.
Warning signs
Three things that should end the conversation
Each of these is documented by a regulator, a state agency or a consumer protection body, not by us.
A replacement quote on the first visit with no diagnostic readings
Especially paired with pressure to decide today.
Full payment up front or cash only
An FTC marker of a home improvement scam.
A suggestion that you borrow from a lender they recommend
Also on the FTC's list.
Why waiting costs more
The Department of Energy's finding is that replacing a clogged filter with a clean one can cut an air conditioner's energy use by 5 to 15 percent, and that neglecting maintenance ensures a steady decline in performance while energy use steadily rises.
Source: US Department of Energy, Energy Saver. View source
How this works
Free for homeowners. No sign-up, nothing to buy.
Know the number first
Every page publishes the national cost range for that job with its source named and linked, so the quote in front of you has something to sit against.
Call three, ask the same seven things
The questions are written out, in order, with what a real operator says and what the tell sounds like. Fill the comparison sheet while you are on the call.
Verify it yourself, in five minutes
Licence number on the state board, certificate of insurance from the insurer, written scope with the exclusions named. Nobody has to take our word for anything.
Three names, seven questions, five minutes of checking
That is the whole method, and you can run it this afternoon without us.
BestHonestPro is a free comparison resource, not a contractor. There is nothing to sign up for and we do not sell your details. When we begin connecting callers to contractors, we will be paid a referral fee by the contractor, never by you, and this line will say so.