AC Replacement Estimate Template
Two lines decide whether an AC replacement makes money: the lineset and the electrical. Both are easy to assume and expensive to be wrong about, and both are on this estimate as their own line with a price beside them. The rest of the form is below, field by field, with an example filled in.
What goes on an AC replacement estimate
Everything here is a line item. Some of it is equipment, some of it is work that only exists because there is an old system to remove, and one line of it is required by federal law whether or not anybody thinks to charge for it.
| Field | Filled in | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| SEER2 and capacity | 15.2 SEER2, 3 ton, matched coil | The SEER2 rating and the tonnage of the matched system. SEER2 is the current rating, and it reads about 4 to 5 percent lower than the old SEER number for the same equipment. Quoting an old SEER figure beside a competitor SEER2 figure makes you look worse than you are. |
| Lineset | New 3/4 x 3/8 lineset, 25 ft | Reuse or replace, and the size. R-410A into an old R-22 lineset needs a flush or a replacement, and this is the line that decides whether the job takes one day or two. |
| Outdoor pad or mounting | New composite pad, levelled | Pad, brackets, or stand, plus levelling. Cheap on the estimate, expensive as a callback when the unit settles. |
| Electrical | New disconnect and whip, existing 30A circuit verified | Disconnect, whip, breaker size, and whether the existing circuit carries the new unit. Say it here or the electrician becomes a change order. |
| Condensate drain | Reset trap, add float switch to secondary pan | Primary drain, secondary or float switch, and the trap. An attic air handler without a float switch is a ceiling on the invoice next summer. |
| Recovery and disposal | EPA recovery of existing charge, haul away old condenser | Recovering the refrigerant from the old system and hauling the unit away. It is federally required work with a real cost, and it belongs on the page as its own line. |
| Start-up and charge | Evacuate to 500 microns, weigh in charge, verify airflow | Evacuation, weigh-in or subcool charge, and the airflow check. This is the part that decides whether the system lasts, and it is the part homeowners never see, so write it down. |
| Efficiency rebate | Utility rebate at 16 SEER2 and above, homeowner files | The utility or manufacturer rebate the chosen SEER2 tier qualifies for, and who files it. If the tier changes, the rebate changes, so it goes beside the equipment line. |
Quote SEER2, not SEER
SEER2 replaced SEER in 2023. The test is run against a higher external static pressure, which is closer to what a real duct system does to a blower, so the same equipment scores about four to five percent lower than it used to. Nothing about the machine changed.
This matters on the page rather than in the field. A homeowner comparing your estimate against two others is comparing numbers, and if yours says 16 SEER while a competitor says 15.2 SEER2, he is looking at what may well be the same machine and concluding that one of you is better. Quote SEER2 and let the comparison be honest. Rebate tiers are written in SEER2 now as well, so it is the number that decides the money too.
The lines nobody thinks to charge for
Recovery and disposal
Recovering the refrigerant out of the old system is required work, it takes time, and it needs equipment you paid for. Hauling the condenser away is another trip. Both are real costs and both tend to disappear into "labor" where they cannot be defended. As their own line they are simply what the law and the job require.
Evacuation and charge
Pulling the system down to 500 microns, weighing in the charge, and checking airflow is the part that decides whether this equipment reaches its rated life. It is also completely invisible to the customer. If it is not written on the estimate, the only difference he can see between your bid and a cheaper one is the price.
The float switch
An air handler in an attic with no secondary drain protection is a ceiling repair waiting for its year. The switch costs almost nothing. Explaining afterwards why it was not included costs considerably more, and the conversation happens while a homeowner is looking at a stain spreading across his hallway.
Rebates change the equipment choice
Because rebate tiers are keyed to SEER2, the rebate line and the equipment line move together. A homeowner who can see both may well choose the higher tier once the net difference is on the page rather than in his head. Put the rebate on the estimate, say who files it, and let him do that arithmetic where you can see it.
Two ways to use it
Fill it in and send it
This link opens the builder with every line above already on the quote: open the AC replacement estimate template with these lines in it. Put in your customer, your prices and your tax rate, and you have an estimate with the recovery, electrical and rebate lines already on it.
The builder is the paid part of this site: $29 a month for the whole shop, never per technician, cancel yourself in one click. The price and the terms are on one page. The charts, the templates and the PDF below stay free either way.
Print it and write on it
If you would rather keep a pad of these in the truck, the blank version is a one page PDF with the same fields on it. No email, no sign up, no gate.
Download the blank AC replacement estimate PDF
Other templates
Heating side of the same house is the furnace installation quote template. If the ductwork turns out to be the real problem, size it against the duct CFM calculator before you quote the equipment. Anything found once the old unit is out goes on the HVAC change order form, not on the final invoice.
Writing the estimate in the driveway rather than at nine at night is what the estimate software is for.
AC replacement estimate questions
What should an AC replacement estimate include?
The condenser and matched coil with their SEER2 rating and tonnage, the lineset, the outdoor pad, the electrical work, condensate handling, EPA recovery and disposal of the old unit, labor including evacuation and start-up, and any rebate as its own line. The lineset and the electrical are the two that most often get assumed rather than quoted.
Can you reuse the old lineset on an AC replacement?
Sometimes, and it is a judgement call rather than a rule. If the old system used R-22, the oil left in the line is not compatible with the oil in an R-410A system, so the line has to be flushed properly or replaced. Sizing matters too, because a lineset that suited the old unit may be wrong for the new one. Decide before you quote, because this line is the difference between a one day job and a two day job.
What is SEER2 and why is the number lower?
SEER2 is the rating that replaced SEER in 2023. It is measured against a higher external static pressure, which is closer to a real duct system, so the same equipment scores about four to five percent lower than it did under the old test. Nothing about the machine changed. Putting an old SEER figure on your estimate next to a competitor SEER2 figure makes your equipment look worse than it is.