With more than half of the houses in this country being well over twenty years old, there are many, many homeowners facing the reality that they will need to fork over money to afford the replacement of their aging HVAC systems.  This is a difficult time for many families, who are facing a troubled economy, inflation across the board, and, of course, increasingly high utility bills.  With tight budgets to contend with, they will have to be more educated than consumers of the past, and in order to know, in advance, approximately how much such a replacement will cost, there are several variables that will have to be considered. So, we thought it was important to look at some of those here:

#1. Size of the Space

A bigger home is going to require a bigger system.  That is an unavoidable fact.  Whether it is simply more sections of baseboard, more ducts, a larger boiler or all of the above, the cost of system replacement will depend on the size of the home.

#2. The Efficiency of the System Selected

This is often a sticky point for many homeowners.  Obviously, there is a desire to keep that upfront cost down, but better efficiency means lower utility bills later, so it is worth considering future savings as well.

#3. Extent of the Replacement

It is possible that some of the elements of the HVAC system – pipes, ducts, baseboard, etc. – can be left in place.  If these pieces are still in good shape and they will work with the new system being installed, it can cut down on the cost of materials and labor.

#4. Add-ons

Here is another one of those difficult decisions to make.  HVAC sensors and controls are capable of amazing things these days.  They can drastically improve the efficiency and the safety of an HVAC system.  Therefore, homeowners may opt to include them as add-ons to the new install. That, of course, can add to the initial price tag, but the improved efficiency can cut down on utility bills later.  It is an option worth being weighed.