New AC unit

[Mitchell Hein]

I just received a quote from my AC company, these are the two options we received:

Option #1: For a 2-stage Rheem heat pump system the total price will be $8,340.00.

Option #2: For a single stage Tempstar heat pump system the total price will be $7,280.00.

The property is a long-term buy and hold, so we plan on owning for the next 30+ years ideally. It is a duplex, 1,300 sq ft on each side, and we only need to replace the AC/heat on one side right now (this quote is for the one side). We have enough reserves to do either option.

I am leaning towards the more expensive option 1. I am thinking over a 30-40 year time horizon, the nicer system will require less maintenance and also last 3-5 more years, so would end up being the cheaper option in the long run. These properties are in the B to A class range, 2002 built so this is the first time needing an AC system replacement.

I am curious what everyones thoughts are here, would you go with the nicer system since you will have the property long-term, or is the $1,000 cost difference too steep for you?

[David Schmiediche]

I would shop around prices and go with Option #1 for the cheaper price. I just replaced an AC for a similar property in College Station and had a quote for $8750.09 after inspections were done on the property. I blacked out the price and sent it to two other companies for them to give me a quote (not knowing how much I had already been quoted.) A company came back saying they could do it for $7,850. I had never used this company before, so I went to the original company that priced $8750.09 and asked them to price match. They agreed and did amazing work, like they always do. This saved me $900.09 and allowed me to get the system I wanted. Perhaps you could do the same and get the best of both worlds. Here are some companies to look into.

Advantage Heating and Cooling

BCS Air Solutions

Barkers Cooling

Malek Service Company