Repair or Replace Your AC? What Central Florida Homeowners Actually Paid, 2023 to 2026

Repair-or-replace advice usually starts with national averages. Ours starts with what our own customers paid. ACE Air Conditioning & Electrical has served Central Florida since 1979, and we completed 12,050 jobs from January 2023 to October 2026. The typical price is the median. The range is the middle half of jobs, so a quarter paid less and a quarter paid more.

• HVAC service call: typical $214, middle half $149 to $386 (3,683 jobs)
• AC diagnostic visit: typical $189, middle half $99 to $299 (696 jobs)
• After-hours AC call: typical $289, middle half $189 to $397 (166 jobs)
• AC tune-up visit: typical $189, middle half $166 to $337 (314 jobs)
• Duct repair or installation: most duct jobs we priced landed between $2,500 and $4,340 (a small sample of 11 jobs)
• AC change-out (new condenser and air handler on your existing ductwork): typical $7,048, middle half $5,936 to $8,788 (194 jobs)
• Full system installation (complete systems, including larger and higher-efficiency ones): typical $9,499, middle half $7,282 to $12,074 (115 jobs)

These are what our customers actually paid for completed jobs from January 2023 to October 2026. Your exact price is quoted before any work starts.

A repair visit usually lands in the hundreds of dollars and a replacement in the thousands. So the real question is rarely one repair bill. It is how many more your system has left in it.

No formula fits every house, but this is the guidance our technicians give.

Repair it when the system is reasonably young, the problem is a single part, and the house was comfortable and dry before it broke. Capacitors, contactors, fan motors, clogged drain lines, float switches and thermostats all fall in this group. Fixing one of these keeps a sound system running for a small share of what a new one costs.

Get a replacement price before you approve the repair when two or more of these are true:

• The system is past about 12 years old.
• The repair is a major one, such as a compressor, a coil, or a refrigerant leak that has been recharged before.
• The system uses R-22 refrigerant.
• This is the second or third significant repair in the last couple of summers.
• Some rooms never cool down, or the house feels damp even when the thermostat is satisfied.
• Your summer power bills keep rising while your habits have not changed.

One of these alone is usually not a reason to replace. An older system with a bad capacitor is still a repair. Two or three together are a good reason to see both prices. Ask, and we will give you a repair price and a free replacement estimate side by side.

Age

Every part of the system has run through the same number of Florida summers. Fixing the compressor does not make the fan motor, the coil or the air handler any younger. The manufacture date is on the outdoor unit's data plate, sometimes coded into the serial number.

The size of the repair

Compare the repair quote with the change-out range above. A repair in the hundreds on a sound system is an easy yes. A repair that runs into the thousands on an older system puts real money into equipment that may need more soon. A new system also comes with a new manufacturer warranty, so ask about the manufacturer and labor warranty on your estimate.

R-22 systems

Older systems use R-22 refrigerant, often called Freon. It is no longer produced or imported in the United States, so what remains is scarce and costly. A leak on an R-22 system is the clearest case for replacement we see: you can pay to find the leak, fix it and recharge, and still own an old system. The refrigerant type is printed on the data plate.

Repeat failures

One breakdown is bad luck. A second or third in a short stretch is a pattern. Keep your invoices so you can see what has been replaced and when.

Comfort and humidity

In this climate, an air conditioner has two jobs: cooling the air and pulling moisture out of it. A system that is the wrong size for the house, or one fed by leaking ducts, can satisfy the thermostat without drying the air. Signs include a clammy feel, musty smells, hot rooms and short run cycles. Some of these are duct or airflow problems we can fix without replacing anything, so ask before you assume.

Energy use

Compare this summer's bills with the same months last year. Usage that keeps climbing while your habits stay the same means the system is working harder for the same result. A higher-efficiency system uses less power, but the savings depend on your house and your old unit, so we will not promise a number.

The replacement ranges are wide because no two houses are alike. What moves the price:

• Tonnage. A larger house needs a larger system, and larger systems cost more. We size the new system with a load calculation instead of copying the old label, because an oversized unit cools fast and leaves the air damp.
• SEER2 efficiency. SEER2 is the efficiency rating on new equipment. A higher number means less power for the same cooling. Higher-efficiency systems cost more up front, and most of the utility rebates below require 15.2 SEER2 or higher.
• Heat pump or AC with heat strips. In Central Florida, heat comes from a heat pump or from electric heat strips in the air handler. A heat pump usually costs more than a straight AC, but it heats far more efficiently than strips, and Duke Energy pays more when you switch from strips to a heat pump. See heat pumps and mini-splits.
• Air handler location. An air handler in a garage or hall closet is the simplest swap. One in the attic takes more labor, and a tight closet can limit which equipment fits.
• Ductwork condition. A change-out reuses your ducts. If they are leaking, crushed or undersized, a new system will not perform as rated, and duct work gets added to the estimate.
• Electrical. A new unit may need a new disconnect, breaker or wire size, and some older panels need attention first. ACE is a licensed HVAC and electrical contractor, so we handle that work ourselves instead of sending you to a second company.

That is the difference between the two replacement figures in our list. A change-out swaps the condenser and air handler on the existing ductwork. A full installation covers complete systems, including larger and higher-efficiency equipment. Your estimate says which one your home needs and why. More on our AC replacement and installation page.

ACE offers financing through Service Finance Company, LLC (a Truist subsidiary) and Synchrony, from $500 to $75,000 with no down payment required. Current plans:

• 6 months no interest, no payments on any project
• Pay in full within 12 months and pay no interest, on projects of $3,000 or more
• 12.99% APR for up to 84 months ($1,000 minimum)
• 9.99% APR for up to 12 years on projects of $8,000 or more, and up to 15 years on $13,000 or more

All financing is subject to credit approval. Because the minimum is $500, a large repair can be financed as well as a new system. Read the plan terms and apply on our financing and rebates page.

Utility rebates still exist. Duke Energy serves most of West Volusia, and OUC serves parts of Orlando. As checked in October 2026:

• Duke Energy Florida: $500 for a heat pump replacing a heat pump (15.2 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2 or higher); $600 for a heat pump replacing electric strip heat, or $1,000 at 16 SEER2 or higher; $300 for an A/C replacing an A/C (15.2 SEER2 or higher). Duke requires a free Duke Home Energy Check, an all-electric home, a full system replacement and a permit, and you apply within 12 months.
• OUC: a heat pump bill credit of $45 to $1,150 depending on size and efficiency (15.2 SEER2 or higher), applied for within 6 months, and up to $100 for duct repair or replacement sealed with mastic.

The federal tax credit is gone. The federal tax credit for heat pumps and air conditioners ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025. Florida's new home energy rebate programs have not launched yet, and rebate amounts change, so check again before you buy.

Current offers on new systems include $500 off energy-efficient AC systems and a free UV light ($299 value) with a new AC system installation. See the promotions page for what is running now.

A maintenance plan will not make an old system young again. It catches small problems before they become the breakdown that forces this question on the hottest day of the year. Our plans are priced per year for the first unit, and each additional unit is 10% off:

• Silver, $189 a year: annual tune-up, indoor coil disinfection to help prevent mold, efficiency check, flexible scheduling.
• Gold, $289 a year: twice-a-year coil cleaning and disinfection, filters, coils and drains cleaned, safety inspection of controls and wiring, priority scheduling, discounted repairs.
• Platinum, $499 a year: twice-a-year full system inspection and coil cleaning, advanced mold prevention, front-of-the-line service with no extra charge for emergency calls, larger repair discounts.

The typical tune-up our customers paid for on its own was $189, the same as a year of Silver. After-hours calls carry an after-hours dispatch fee, and Platinum members pay no extra charge for emergency calls. Every plan includes coil disinfection, which targets the mold that Florida humidity feeds. If you decide to keep your current system a few more years, a plan is a low-cost way to protect that decision. Compare the plans on our maintenance plan page.

If your system is down now, start with a repair visit. The technician finds the problem and gives you a flat-rate price before any work starts. If the system is a replacement candidate, they will say so and explain why. Emergency service is available, and after-hours calls carry an after-hours dispatch fee. There is also a current offer for a $99 AC diagnostic (limited time). See our AC repair page for what we fix.

If you are already leaning toward replacement, ask for a free replacement estimate. We look at the house, the equipment, the ductwork, the air handler location and the electrical, then give you a price and walk you through the financing plans and any rebates that apply.

Call (386) 668-8651 or book online. Our office is at 2985 Enterprise Road in DeBary.