Furnace and AC replacement in Falls Church.
Replacing the furnace and AC together in Falls Church costs $8,898 to $23,000 installed. The City’s median owner home was built in 1964.
- Your price range up front
- Sized to the house, not the old label
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Get your new system priced
Falls Church houses date from 1957 to 1980 at the median. Their systems don’t.
By the median year its owner-occupied houses went up, Falls Church falls into three bands: West Falls Church (1957), Lake Barcroft (1958) and Pimmit Hills (1961) first, the City (1964) in the middle, then Seven Corners (1972), Idylwood (1975) and Bailey’s Crossroads (1980). Nearly all of those houses have outlived their first heating and cooling, and most likely the second. So the house’s age matters less than the age of what’s in the basement or closet.
When the furnace and the outdoor unit carry dates from the same year, the same winters and summers wore them down, and the pair is the thing to price. The City adds a younger layer: about 28 percent of its homes went up since 2000, and so did about 23 percent in Pimmit Hills. A house finished in the early 2000s may still run the builder’s furnace and air conditioner, both now past twenty.
Idylwood, Seven Corners and Bailey’s Crossroads lean toward townhouses, apartment and condo buildings, and electric heat: about 4 in 10 owners in Idylwood and more than half in Bailey’s Crossroads. Where the indoor half is an air handler with heat strips rather than a gas furnace, the matching replacement is a heat pump system, $8,499 to $21,650 installed.
The paperwork follows the government the house answers to. Inside the City of Falls Church, the air conditioner half of a single-family swap needs no permit, and the gas furnace half takes a gas permit. On the county side, Fairfax County wants a permit for the gas furnace even like for like, plus the chimney vent certification it asks for whenever a fuel-burning appliance is replaced.
The systems across Falls Church, place by place.
Census figures for the owner-occupied homes in each place, and what that usually means for a replacement.
| Place | Median home built | Most homes are | Heated with | What the system usually is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Falls Church | 1957 | single-family houses, about 6 in 10 | gas, about 7 in 10 | Second or third systems, often on the original ductwork. |
| Bailey’s Crossroads | 1980 | condo and apartment buildings, about 6 in 10 | electricity, about 5 in 10 | Mostly electric heat, so usually a heat pump swap instead. |
| Idylwood | 1975 | condo and apartment buildings, about 4 in 10 | gas, about 5 in 10 | Condo closet systems: small units, often with association rules for the outdoor half. |
| City of Falls Church | 1964 | condo and apartment buildings, about 5 in 10 | gas, about 7 in 10 | Condo closet systems: small units, often with association rules for the outdoor half. |
| Lake Barcroft | 1958 | single-family houses, about 6 in 10 | gas, about 8 in 10 | Second or third systems, often on the original ductwork. |
| Seven Corners | 1972 | condo and apartment buildings, about 5 in 10 | gas, about 6 in 10 | Condo closet systems: small units, often with association rules for the outdoor half. |
| Pimmit Hills | 1961 | single-family houses, about 7 in 10 | gas, about 9 in 10 | Second or third systems, often on the original ductwork. |
Falls Church houses, by the numbers
From the Census Bureau’s 2020 to 2024 survey, owner-occupied homes unless it says otherwise.
The City of Falls Church
ZIP 22046, plus a few City addresses in 22042 and 22044.
- Median home built1964 Census
- Built before 1980about 6 in 10 Census
- Built since 2000about 3 in 10 Census
- Most homes arecondo and apartment buildings, about 5 in 10 Census
- Heated withgas, about 7 in 10 Census
- Rentedabout 5 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.
The Fairfax County side
22041 to 22044: West Falls Church, Idylwood, Lake Barcroft, Seven Corners and Bailey’s Crossroads.
- Built before 1980about 7 in 10 Census
- Built since 2000about 1 in 10 Census
- Most homes arecondo and apartment buildings, about 4 in 10 Census
- Heated withgas, about 6 in 10 Census
- Rentedabout 4 in 10 Census
- Most homes here heat with gas, so the usual pair is a gas furnace inside and an air conditioner outside, with the coil sitting on the furnace.
What a new furnace and AC costs in Falls Church.
$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 Falls Church.
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.
The outdoor unit runs on R-22
The label on its side names the refrigerant. R-22 hasn’t been made or imported in the US since 2020, so a leak gets expensive. Replace it on your schedule, not in July.
Who signs off on a new system in Falls Church.
City of Falls Church
In a single-family house in the City of Falls Church, an air conditioner or heat pump can be replaced without a permit. Source.
In the City of Falls Church a one-for-one gas furnace replacement needs only a gas permit. Source.
The City of Falls Church runs its own permit counter at City Hall, 300 Park Avenue, and warns that a Falls Church mailing address reaches far outside the City limits; Merrifield, Seven Corners and Bailey’s Crossroads are Fairfax County. Source.
How to pick who replaces your furnace and AC in Falls Church.
Ask every company that quotes the job, us included.
Did they ask whether it’s a house, a townhouse or a condo?
Inside the City, the no-permit rule for swapping an air conditioner is written for single-family houses. For a townhouse or a condo unit, check with the City’s permit counter, and in a building, find out what the association allows outside.
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.
Moises and Oscar did a superlative job doing a custom installation of a new HVAC unit in a tight basement space. And they then took the time to go over system operation. Top tier job and service in all respects!
5.0 stars across 884 Google reviews. Read them on our reviews page.
Furnace and AC replacement questions from Falls Church.
How does the City of Falls Church treat a new furnace and AC?
As two pieces. The air conditioner in a single-family house can be replaced with no permit. The gas furnace needs a gas permit, and the City lists a new furnace replacing an equivalent one as a permit issued at the counter, without plan review.
Is this the moment to switch to a heat pump?
It’s the easiest moment to ask, with both halves coming out. A heat pump system runs $8,499 to $21,650 installed, against $8,898 to $23,000 for the furnace and AC. The HVAC replacement estimator prices either one, and if one half might only need a repair, the diagnostic visit is $99.
My address says Falls Church 22042. Is the house in the City?
Probably not, but check before the work is scheduled. The City’s address finder says its main ZIP is 22046, with only a few City properties in 22042 and 22044, and most City homes have three-digit street numbers. An address of 1400 or higher is usually county.
How much does a new furnace and AC cost in Falls Church?
$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.
More from SwiftPro in Falls Church.
More from SwiftPro in Falls Church
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 Falls Church 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.