Furnace and AC replacement in Arlington.
A new furnace and AC in Arlington costs $8,898 to $23,000 installed. If the two went in the same year, expect them to wear out close together.
- Your price range up front
- Sized to the house, not the old label
- Dedicated HVAC team
Get your new system priced
When an Arlington furnace and AC share a birth year, replace them together.
Nothing heating or cooling an Arlington house from 1960 is original. That’s the median year for owner-occupied homes here, the oldest of any county or city in Northern Virginia, and a furnace or air conditioner lasts fifteen to twenty years, so the equipment in a house that age has been swapped several times. What matters is whether the last owner replaced the furnace and the air conditioner together, because a pair installed the same week tends to fail within a few seasons of each other.
Check the two nameplates. The furnace’s is inside the front panel, the outdoor unit’s is on its side, and the serial number usually carries the year. If both read the same year and one has started asking for repairs, price the pair now, on a mild week, rather than one half in January and the other in July.
A full replacement is also the one chance to size the whole system for the house as it stands. A 1940s Westover house or a Maywood Cape Cod may have new windows, attic insulation or a rear addition since its last system went in, and the right size today can be different from the old label. In houses that age the ductwork was planned around heating, often with a single small return, so the airflow gets measured before the size is picked.
Arlington’s newer homes run on the same clock, just later. About one in seven went up between 2000 and 2009, and where one of those still has the gas furnace and outdoor unit it came with, the pair is close to twenty years old and likely to come due together.
Arlington houses, by the numbers
From the Census Bureau’s 2020 to 2024 survey, owner-occupied homes unless it says otherwise.
Arlington
- Median home built1960 Census
- Built before 1980about 5 in 10 Census
- Built since 2000about 3 in 10 Census
- Most homes arecondo and apartment buildings, about 6 in 10 Census
- Heated withgas, about 6 in 10 Census
- Rentedabout 6 in 10 Census
- Houses this age are usually on their second or third system, often on the original ductwork.
- Condo systems are small closet units, and the association may set rules for the outdoor half.
What a new furnace and AC costs in Arlington.
$8,898 to $23,000 installed for a furnace and air conditioner replaced together, 2 to 5 ton, from the same price book as our estimator. Where you land depends on the size of the house, the efficiency you pick, and what the ductwork and venting need.
- Furnace and AC together, installed$8,898 to $23,000
- Furnace alone, keeping your AC$4,285 to $14,040
- Heat pump system instead$8,499 to $21,650
The HVAC replacement estimator gives your house its own number. Then we measure, and the price is in writing before anything is ordered.
Two years of labor come with every install. Monthly plans are on our financing page.
When replacing both makes sense in Arlington.
Both nameplates show the same year
And one half has needed two repairs since last winter. The other has the same hours on it. Price the pair now and you pick the week, not the weather.
Third system, original ducts
An older house is usually on its third system, still on ductwork laid out for the first. We check the ducts and venting before sizing the new one.
The AC died and the furnace is the same age
A new outdoor unit needs a matching coil, and on a gas system the coil sits on the furnace. If the furnace is as old, do both and open that closet once.
Who signs off on a new system in Arlington.
Arlington County
Replacing a furnace or air conditioner with the same type, size and location needs no Arlington permit unless it burns gas, which takes a plumbing and gas permit. With no permit, Zoning still approves where any outdoor equipment goes. Source.
Arlington County wants a plumbing and gas permit, with inspections, to replace anything fueled by gas, a gas water heater included. Off gas, swapping in the same type, size and location needs no permit. Source.
Arlington lets an owner hold a residential permit for only one address in two years, refuses an LLC owner unless the home is an existing rental with proof, and strongly suggests the contractor doing the work be the permit holder. Source.
How to pick who replaces your furnace and AC in Arlington.
Ask every company that quotes the job, us included.
Did they check how the air reaches the top floor?
In an older Arlington house the second floor is where a system shows its limits: a long duct run up through a closet, a small return, bedrooms under the roof. Ask how the new system’s airflow will reach it, not only what size goes in the basement.
Do they size it to the house, or copy the old label?
The old size is a guess somebody made years ago. Ask whether they measure the house and check the ductwork first. Too big short cycles; too small runs all afternoon in August.
Is the whole job in the written price?
Furnace, outdoor unit, matching coil, refrigerant lines, thermostat, permit and hauling the old one away. If it isn’t on the paper, ask.
Already holding another company’s quote?
Our free second opinion looks at the system you were quoted on and tells you what it actually needs, with our price if you want it.
What our customers say.
David and the install team that came over were friendly, knowledgeable and professional. Happy with the install of my Trane system. Tyler was a pleasure to work work with in getting me the best price. He’s got a good thing going over there. I’m glad I went with them!
5.0 stars across 884 Google reviews. Read them on our reviews page.
Furnace and AC replacement questions from Arlington.
I own an Arlington house I rent out. Can you work around the tenant?
Yes. We do more work through landlords and property managers in Arlington than in almost any other town, so condo buildings, tenant scheduling and access rules are routine for us there. If the house is held in an LLC, read the owner permit rule below first: Arlington won’t issue an owner permit to an LLC unless the home is an existing rental and you can prove it.
Where do I start on pricing a new system for a 1950s Arlington house?
With the HVAC replacement estimator, which turns $8,898 to $23,000 into a range for your house. Then a tech checks the ducts, the return and the venting in person, and if a repair would do, a $99 diagnostic visit prices it first.
How much does a new furnace and AC cost in Arlington?
$8,898 to $23,000 installed for the pair, by size and efficiency. A furnace alone, keeping your AC, is $4,285 to $14,040. The HVAC replacement estimator gives your house its own number.
Do I have to replace both at the same time?
No. If the AC is young and only the furnace failed, replace the furnace. If they’re the same age, do both: a new outdoor unit needs a matched coil, and one built for the old refrigerant isn’t rated for the new one.
Furnace and AC replacement in the towns next door.
- Furnace and AC replacement in Falls Church
- Furnace and AC replacement in Alexandria
- Furnace and AC replacement in Dunn Loring
- Furnace and AC replacement in Annandale
- Furnace and AC replacement in McLean
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Start with your number, then a written quote.
Call, book online, or take the HVAC replacement estimator first. We measure before we quote, and if a repair makes more sense than a new system, you’ll hear that first.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is a licensed, BBB Accredited (A rating), independently owned heating, cooling and plumbing company in Chantilly, serving Arlington and the rest of Northern Virginia. Virginia contractor license #2705192276. 5.0 stars across 884 Google reviews. SwiftPro maintains a dedicated HVAC team and a dedicated plumbing team.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, 4230 Lafayette Center Dr, Suite N, Chantilly, VA 20151, (703) 997-9757. Book online, read our reviews, or see every town we serve.