Most contractors make you sit through a sales visit to hear a number. Here's ours up front: on the northern Front Range, most full central AC replacements run $6,500–$12,500 installed.
A "how much is a new AC" number that doesn't ask about your house is a guess. The range above covers the large majority of homes we work on — from a straightforward like-for-like swap in a newer Frederick two-story to a bigger, higher-efficiency system going into a home that also needs electrical or duct corrections. Here's what moves the number, in roughly the order it matters:
Cooling capacity is measured in tons, and bigger homes need more of it. But bigger is not better: an oversized AC short-cycles, cools unevenly, and dies younger. We size from a load calculation of your actual house — square footage, windows, orientation, insulation — not from whatever the last unit happened to be. Correcting a mis-sized system is one of the most common upgrades we make at replacement time.
Every new system meets today's federal minimum efficiency, which is already better than what a 15-year-old unit delivers. Above the minimum, higher-SEER2 equipment costs more up front and less every month. In our climate — hot, dry summers but a shorter cooling season than, say, Texas — mid-tier efficiency is usually the sweet spot; we'll show the math rather than assume you want the top shelf.
Single-stage systems are on or off. Two-stage systems run a lower gear most of the time — quieter, steadier temperatures, better dehumidification on muggy days. Variable-speed goes further still. Each step up adds cost; two-stage is where most Front Range homeowners land when comfort is the complaint driving the replacement.
The condenser is only part of the job. The indoor evaporator coil should be replaced with it (mismatched coils quietly wreck efficiency and warranties). Ductwork that's undersized or leaking may need correction — common in older Fort Lupton and Longmont homes where ducts were designed for heating only. Electrical: older panels sometimes need a new breaker or disconnect. And permits: your city or county requires one, plus inspection. All of that belongs in the quote, not in surprise change orders.
Equipment (condenser and matched coil), a load-calculation-based size, all labor, refrigerant line work, electrical connection, thermostat hookup, permit and inspection, haul-away of the old equipment, and registration of your manufacturer warranty. One itemized number per option — typically a good/better choice, not a twelve-line upsell menu. No commission on the person quoting it.
If your AC is under about 12 years old and the fix is modest — a capacitor, a fan motor — repair is usually the right call. The rule of thumb we use on our own trucks: multiply the system's age by the repair cost. Under about $4,000, repair territory; over about $6,000, replacement territory; in between, the repair history breaks the tie. There's a full walkthrough (and a calculator) on our repair-or-replace page.
A straight AC has little rebate help this year — the federal credit ended December 31, 2025. But a cold-climate heat pump cools exactly like an AC and also heats, and that's where the money is: Colorado's $1,000 state credit plus utility rebates (Xcel or United Power, depending on your address) can shrink the gap between an AC and a heat pump to less than most people expect. Details on our rebates & financing page — and financing through GoodLeap is available if monthly payments fit better than a lump sum.
For a typical northern Front Range home, a full central AC replacement generally runs $6,500 to $12,500 installed. Size, efficiency tier, staging, ductwork condition, electrical work, and permits move the number within that range. We quote exact, itemized prices before any work.
Sometimes. Small repairs on an older system can be fine; a major repair like a compressor on a 15-year-old unit usually isn't. Multiply age by repair cost: under about $4,000 is repair territory, over about $6,000 favors replacement. Our repair-or-replace guide walks through it.
A straight AC replacement has limited rebate help in 2026 — the federal credit ended last December. The meaningful money is on heat pumps: Colorado's $1,000 credit plus utility rebates can close most of the price gap. Ask for both numbers when you get a quote — we bring them by default.
Free replacement quote — measured, itemized, and honest about whether you even need one.