When you call three HVAC companies in Seattle for AC installation quotes, you typically get three very different numbers and no explanation of what accounts for the difference. You don’t know if you’re at market rate, if someone is overcharging, or if the cheaper quote is cheaper because something important isn’t included. Without context, the numbers are impossible to evaluate.
Most HVAC companies in Seattle prefer it that way. You get the number after someone has already been in your home for forty minutes, when the psychology of the visit has done its work. At Product Air, we decided early on that this isn’t how we want to operate and as far as we know, we’re the first HVAC company in Seattle to share actual installation prices publicly, with enough context to make them useful rather than just large numbers in a table.
Below are 12 specific pricing scenarios for AC installation in Seattle in 2026: four equipment categories across three installation types, with real prices, real model names, and an explanation of what each number includes. These are prices from our actual quotes and our actual jobs, current as of May 2026. Not industry averages. Not ranges designed to be vague enough that any real quote looks like it fits.
Quick Reference: What AC Installation Costs in Seattle in 2026
| Scenario | Price (before tax) |
| Home Depot equipment + Product Air installation (simple) | $3,500 – $5,000 |
| Most affordable full-cycle legal option (entry-level, add-on, no electrical) | from $8,006 |
| Most common in Seattle (mid-range, with electrical) | from $14,656 |
| Premium multi-zone ductless (Mitsubishi MXZ, 3 zones, with electrical) | from $17,746 |
| Complex case: full system with new air handler + electrical | from $19,002 |
Tax is not included in any of these numbers. What drives the differences between them is explained in detail below.
How AC Installation Pricing Breaks Down
A quote for AC installation combines three distinct cost categories that have very different drivers. Understanding where each piece comes from is the only way to evaluate what you’re actually looking at when estimates land differently.
Equipment: roughly 45% of a typical project budget
Equipment is the largest single cost in any installation, and it’s where the range is widest. A 3-ton entry-level single-stage AC and a 3-ton premium multi-zone ductless system serve different purposes, have different efficiency ratings, and cost very different amounts and that difference flows directly into every quote.
At Product Air, our equipment pricing reflects the supplier relationships we’ve built over seven years. On the HVAC side, we source through Gensco, the largest regional HVAC distributor in the Pacific Northwest, a family-owned company that has been supplying professional HVAC contractors across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska since 1948. We’ve written about how that relationship works in detail separately. The short version is that the equipment we install is properly certified, sourced through professional trade channels, and backed by full manufacturer warranties. We also install as Home Depot installation partners, which means we install Midea, Carrier, and Lennox equipment purchased through Home Depot’s channels.
Installation and labor: roughly 30% of a typical project budget
Labor pricing in Seattle reflects the full cost of licensed, insured, permitted work: the technicians’ time, the coordination with the utility company and inspector when required, the materials used on the job, and the operational infrastructure behind every visit: stocked vans, scheduled prep, pre-staged equipment.
For Seattle homeowners, there is no travel surcharge. Our Seattle office is at 6850 35th Ave NE. Our team is already here.
What you sometimes see in the market is labor pricing from unlicensed contractors that runs meaningfully lower than what a licensed company charges. That difference is real. What’s also real is what’s missing from it: permits, inspections, insurance backing, and the legal accountability that comes with licensed work. We cover that in the DIY vs. Professional section later in this article.
Permits in Seattle: what they cost and who handles them
In Seattle, an AC installation typically requires two to three permits from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections: a mechanical permit, a refrigeration permit, and in many cases an electrical permit. The combined permit cost in the greater Seattle area runs $149 to $500 depending on the project scope and total cost.
Product Air handles all permit applications as part of every installation. In most cases, permits are pulled within 4 to 24 hours. The homeowner doesn’t manage this process. We do.
What a Permit Is and Why It Matters
A mechanical permit is legal authorization from the city to perform the work. When the installation is complete, a city inspector comes to the property, reviews the work, and signs off that it meets the Seattle Mechanical Code. That sign-off becomes part of your home’s official record.
This matters more than most homeowners realize at the time of installation.
When you sell or refinance, the inspection record confirms the HVAC work was done legally. Without it, a buyer’s lender can require corrections as a condition of closing, which means paying to redo work you already paid for, on a timeline driven by your escrow date, with no leverage to negotiate the price.
When something goes wrong and you file a homeowner’s insurance claim, the insurance company will look at whether the work was permitted. Unpermitted installations give the insurer grounds to deny or reduce a claim.
And the point most homeowners don’t learn until it costs them: most major AC manufacturers, including Trane, require installation by a licensed contractor under a permit as a condition of the factory warranty. If the work was done without a permit by an unlicensed installer, the 10-year manufacturer warranty may be void from the day of installation.
Product Air pulls permits on every job. It’s part of the price and it is not optional.
Four AC Equipment Categories We Install in Seattle
Category 1: Home Depot Equipment
The Home Depot channel covers two distinct scenarios worth separating.
The first is portable and window units: products like the Toshiba 6,000 BTU window unit ($219 + tax) or the Vissani 5,000 BTU portable unit ($289 + tax) that homeowners can buy and install themselves. These work for single-room cooling in apartments or smaller spaces. They don’t require professional installation and aren’t designed for whole-home use.
The second scenario is customers who have purchased or plan to purchase Midea, Carrier, or Lennox equipment through Home Depot and need a licensed professional to install it. Product Air installs all three brands as an authorized Home Depot installation partner. For equipment the customer sources through Home Depot, our installation runs $3,500 to $5,000 for a straightforward add-on. This covers licensed, permitted labor without a new air handler.
Category 2: Entry-Level: Runtru by Trane (14 SEER2, Single Stage)
Runtru is Trane’s entry-level residential line: single-stage cooling, reliable performance, and a full manufacturer warranty that holds because it’s being installed by a licensed Trane contractor. For homeowners whose primary goal is reliable central cooling at the most accessible price for a fully permitted installation, Runtru is where Product Air starts.
In our market, one ton of cooling capacity (12,000 BTU) typically covers 450 to 700 square feet, depending on the age of the home, its insulation, ceiling height, and sun exposure. A 3-ton system covers the most common Seattle home size range.
Category 3: Mid-Range: Trane Priority (17 SEER2, Multi-Stage)
The Trane Priority is our mid-range recommendation and the most common category our Seattle customers end up in when they’re thinking about total cost of ownership rather than just the installation number. It’s a multi-stage system with a 17 SEER2 efficiency rating quieter, more efficient, and with meaningfully better humidity control than a single-stage unit.
For Seattle’s climate, where summers are intensifying but cooling seasons are still shorter than most markets, the Priority’s efficiency advantage compounds over a 15-to-20-year system life. The difference between a single-stage and multi-stage system isn’t just efficiency. It’s how the home feels on a hot afternoon, and how the system behaves at night when you want cooling without noise.
Category 4: Premium: Mitsubishi MXZ Multi-Zone Ductless
For homes without existing ductwork, or where room-by-room comfort control is the priority, the Mitsubishi MXZ multi-zone ductless system is the premium option. As a Mitsubishi Diamond Elite contractor, the highest level of partnership that Mitsubishi awards to fewer than 5% contractors nationwide, Product Air installs these systems with the backing of a 12-year manufacturer warranty rather than the standard 10.
Multi-zone ductless systems are priced by zone count. The MXZ connects one outdoor unit to multiple indoor air handlers, each controllable independently. Pricing covers configurations from three to five indoor zones.
Three Installation Types: What Each Includes
Simple Installation
An add-on to an existing system using the same ductwork, same capacity, short refrigerant lines, and no electrical modifications. The outdoor unit replaces an existing unit in the same location, the indoor coil matches the existing air handler, and the work is completed by one trade in one visit.
This is the scenario with the most predictable pricing because the fewest variables are in play.
Typical time to complete: 8–10 hours
Standard Installation
The outdoor unit is installed on a different side of the house from where the furnace or air handler is located. Refrigerant lines run longer. Electrical work is required for a new dedicated circuit. Multiple permits are needed: mechanical, refrigeration, and electrical. Duct modifications may be required to balance airflow with the new configuration.
This is the most common scenario in Seattle’s older neighborhoods, where the original HVAC layout wasn’t designed around the equipment being installed today.
Typical time to complete: 10–12 hours
Complex Installation
The full scope: ductwork rebuilt or extended to reach additional rooms, the indoor unit relocated, new electrical circuits installed, and in some cases a panel upgrade required before the system can be commissioned. This is the scenario for homes getting central cooling for the first time, or homes where the previous system left behind an infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt rather than adapted.
Complex installations require coordination between our HVAC team, our electrical team, the utility company, and the county inspector. We’ve written in detail about how that coordination works across a single installation day, including why even complex projects can stay on a structured schedule.
Typical time to complete: 12–16 hours
Full Pricing Table: 12 Real Numbers for Seattle AC Installation in 2026
All prices are before tax, current as of May 2026, and reflect real quotes from Product Air jobs. They include equipment, licensed labor, and permit costs.
| Equipment Category | Simple (add-on, no electrical) | Standard (with electrical, 10–12 hrs) | Full System incl. air handler + electrical |
| Home Depot partner brands (Midea, Carrier, Lennox — customer-purchased) | $3,500 – $5,000 (labor only) | Estimate required | Estimate required |
| Entry-level: Runtru by Trane (14 SEER2, 3 ton) | $8,006 | $10,019 | $13,959 |
| Mid-range: Trane Priority (17 SEER2, 3 ton) | $13,870 | $14,656 | $19,002 |
| Premium: Mitsubishi MXZ (multi-zone ductless, with electrical) | — | from $17,746 (3 zones) / $20,705 (4 zones) / $22,663 (5 zones) | Estimate required |
No two homes are identical. Panel capacity, refrigerant line routing, duct condition, and site access all affect the final number. An accurate price for your specific home is only possible after an in-person assessment. At Product Air, that assessment is free. After the visit, we prepare three to four quote options at different price points so you choose the configuration that fits your home and your budget, not the one that fits our margin.
Rebates and Incentives for AC Installation in Seattle in 2026
I want to be direct about this, because the rebate situation for AC is meaningfully different from heat pumps and it affects how you should think about the decision.
What’s actually available for AC in Seattle in 2026
The primary rebate and incentive programs in Seattle are designed for heat pumps, not for central air conditioning alone. The Seattle City Light and PSE programs that offer significant rebates, running from $300 to $4,000 or more depending on equipment efficiency and household income, apply to systems that provide heating and cooling together, not to AC-only installations.
For a standard central AC installation in Seattle in 2026, there is currently no Seattle City Light rebate and no PSE rebate program. The programs exist, the money is in them. It just requires heat pump equipment to qualify.
Federal IRA 25C expired January 1, 2026
The Section 25C federal tax credit that previously covered up to 30% of eligible HVAC equipment and installation costs expired on January 1, 2026. As of the date of this article, it has not been renewed. There is no federal tax credit currently available for residential AC installation.
If rebates matter to your decision, the honest answer is: look at a heat pump
A heat pump does exactly what a central AC does. It cools your home in summer through the same refrigerant cycle and the same ductwork. In addition, it heats your home in winter, replacing or supplementing a gas furnace. And the incentive programs that have real money in them such as Seattle City Light, PSE, Energy Smart Eastside ($1,000–$10,000 depending on income and location), Energize Shoreline ($2,500 first-come first-served), and Snohomish PUD ($1,800–$2,500) all apply to heat pumps.
If you’re planning a cooling installation and you’re currently heating with gas or electric resistance, a heat pump gives you the same summer cooling while making you eligible for rebates that can offset a substantial portion of the installation cost. That’s a calculation worth making before committing to AC only.
For the full breakdown of heat pump costs and rebate programs in Seattle, see our separate article.
How we handle rebates for qualifying equipment
When you receive an estimate from us for a qualifying heat pump installation, our technicians show applicable rebates in real time on the quote. The deduction is visible from the first number you see, not after a filing process. Our office handles all program paperwork and submissions on your behalf. For most programs, the savings are immediate.
Real AC Installation Cases in Seattle
Case 1: Reema in the NE 70th St Corridor: Oil Furnace Out, Trane System In
Reema called Serge in early April. The ask seemed simple: she wanted to free up space in her basement. The oil furnace had claimed a big footprint down there for decades, and she was done with it.
When Serge got to the 1947 house (2,450 square feet, four bedrooms, two stories), he ran through the options. Entry-level, mid-range, efficient, most efficient. Reema surprised him. “I’ll take the most efficient you have,” she said. “But no heat pump. I want hot air coming out of the vents in winter the way a furnace does it.”
That’s a real preference, and it’s more common in Seattle than people admit. Not everyone wants to make the jump to all-electric. Reema knew what she wanted.
Serge put in a Trane XV18 three-ton AC, variable speed, ultra-quiet, 18 SEER, paired with a Trane S9V2B080 furnace running at 96% efficiency. Both units communicating with each other. More compact than the old oil system. The basement got its space back. The installation ran one day on-site, with inspectors signing off permits the following morning.
Final price: $19,982.16. No rebates applied. AC-only setups don’t qualify for heat pump rebate programs, and that’s exactly what this was. Reema paid cash. She’s called to say the system does exactly what she asked for.
Case 2: Erik in Lake City: New House, Full Upgrade Before Moving In
Erik bought a 1958 house at NE 120th Street and called before he even moved in. The panel was original to the house: 100 amps, worn out. He needed 200 amps to support an EV charger. Robert from Product Air came out for the estimate.
The house was a project. The panel was undersized. Bathrooms had no exhaust fans. The Payne gas furnace was over 20 years old and clearly near end of life. There was no air conditioning anywhere in the 2,810-square-foot, three-bedroom home.
Robert walked through the house with Erik and listened. Every room, Erik mentioned something he eventually wanted to fix. So Robert came back with three options: panel upgrade only ($15,811), panel plus lighting plus furnace ($25,008), or the full picture: panel, service, EV charger, lighting, exhaust fans, new outlets, high-efficiency furnace, and a Mitsubishi heat pump ($41,020).
Erik chose the full picture. Robert’s pitch was simple: “Wouldn’t it be nice to take care of all of it now, so when you move in you don’t have contractors back here in six months?”
The team installed a Mitsubishi Smart MZ Hyper-Heat 36,000 BTU system, a Trane 80% furnace, and an Eaton panel with surge protection. HVAC crew took one day. Electrical crew took two. Inspectors signed off on day four.
Rebates applied: Seattle City Light heat pump rebate $600, Mitsubishi manufacturer rebate $1,350, Seattle City Light EV charger rebate $400.
Final price after rebates: $37,173.24. Erik was moved in before he ever had to think about a contractor again.
Case 3: Daine on NE 80th Street: The Job Other Contractors Said Was Impossible
Daine had been in Seattle for about a year when she finally called. Her home office faces west. Every afternoon it turns into a greenhouse. She works from home. This was not sustainable.
Two contractors had already come by and told her it couldn’t be done. The 1908 house (2,820 square feet, two stories) had wall heaters throughout and a panel that couldn’t support a ductless heat pump. They left without a solution. She found Product Air on Angi.
Serge looked at the panel and understood immediately why the others had walked away. A heat pump would overload it. But AC-only ductless runs on far less draw. The panel could handle it. The solution other contractors had missed was right there.
He laid out three options: cool the office alone ($9,749.12 for a single zone), add a second zone for shared spaces ($12,582.79), or run two fully independent systems so Daine and her partner could each control their own space ($12,999.92). Daine’s office was the priority. The single zone unit made the most sense for her situation.
Serge installed a Mitsubishi MUZJX09WL/MSZJX09WL: 0.75 ton, 9,000 BTU, single zone, ultra-quiet wall mount. Variable speed. The rooms had only wall heaters going in. The ductless system added cooling without touching the panel capacity.
No rebates are available for AC-only setups. Final price: $9,749.12. Paid cash, one day on-site. Daine now controls her office temperature independently, exactly as she wanted from the start.
12-year manufacturer warranty on the Mitsubishi equipment. Five-year labor warranty from Product Air.
What’s Important to Know Before Installation
DIY vs. Professional Installation
The gap between what an unlicensed installer charges and what a licensed company charges is real, and I won’t pretend otherwise. You can find someone who will put in a system for less. The question is what that lower price actually contains.
An unpermitted installation voids the manufacturer warranty on most major brands from day one. We’ve seen homeowners discover this when a component fails at year five and the manufacturer comes back to the permit record. There isn’t one. The repair that should have been covered under warranty becomes an out-of-pocket replacement.
Unpermitted work also doesn’t appear on the home’s official record. When the house sells or when a claim is filed, that gap surfaces at the worst possible moment and the cost of resolving it is always higher than the cost of doing it correctly the first time. We covered the specific pattern of how this plays out in our article on electrical panel mistakes in Washington.
The dynamic is the same on the HVAC side.
Warranty and Support
Product Air provides a 5-to-10-year labor warranty on every installation. No fine print on what’s included. If something is wrong with the work, we fix it.
On manufacturer warranties: most major brands such as Trane, Carrier, Lennox, Midea provide 10 years on parts with licensed installation. As a Mitsubishi Diamond Elite contractor, we register Mitsubishi systems for a 12-year manufacturer warranty. Unauthorized installation, or equipment purchased outside certified supply channels, can void these warranties entirely.
AC Service Life and Long-Term Costs in Seattle
A properly installed central AC system in Seattle typically lasts 15 to 20 years. The factors that shorten that life are mostly avoidable: improper installation, deferred maintenance, dirty filters that force the system to overwork, and minor issues allowed to become major ones over time.
Annual maintenance at Product Air runs $149 for AC-only service or $299 for a full system maintenance plan covering heating and cooling with two visits per year. At that cost annually, regular maintenance is the most cost-effective way to protect an $8,000-to-$22,000 investment over its life.
For Seattle homes close to Puget Sound, coil corrosion from salt air is a real factor. It makes the coil cleaning portion of a maintenance visit more important here than it would be in an inland market.
Why We Openly Share Our Prices
Most HVAC companies in Seattle won’t give you a number until someone is sitting at your kitchen table. The reasoning is that once you’ve invested the time in a home visit, you’re more likely to sign. We think that’s backwards.
When we say “Your Tech Brother From Another Mother,” we mean it in the most practical sense possible: a brother who happened to be an HVAC contractor wouldn’t make you schedule an appointment before telling you what things cost. He’d walk you through the numbers, explain what drives them, and let you make an informed decision before committing to anything.
The 12 prices in this article are real numbers from our real quotes. And when we follow up with an estimate after a free in-home assessment, we send three to four options at different price points: entry-level, mid-range, premium, and sometimes a phased approach. So you choose the configuration that fits your situation, not the one that fits our revenue target.
How to Get an Accurate Quote in 15 Minutes
The numbers in this article are starting points. Your ductwork condition, panel capacity, refrigerant line routing, and specific system configuration all affect the final number for your home.
At Product Air, the in-home assessment is free and comes with no obligation. After the visit, we prepare your options and send the quote within 15 minutes.
Call us: (425) 340-3576
To help us give you the most useful estimate in a single visit, it helps to know: the approximate square footage you want to cool, whether you have existing ductwork and roughly how old it is, and whether your electrical panel has been updated in the last decade.
We serve Seattle, including Wedgwood, Windermere, Sandpoint, Lake City, and the University District, as well as Marysville, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Lake Stevens, and communities across Western Washington.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a permit for AC installation in Seattle?
Yes. Seattle requires a mechanical permit and, in most cases, a refrigeration and electrical permit for any AC installation. Permits are required by law. They’re the legal authorization that triggers a city inspection and creates the official record of the work. Product Air handles all permit applications as part of every installation, typically within 4 to 24 hours. You don’t manage the permit process. We do.
What rebates are available for AC installation in Seattle in 2026?
For central AC installations, there are currently no Seattle City Light or PSE rebate programs. The major residential incentive programs in this market, which can reach $300 to $10,000 depending on system type, efficiency, and household income, apply to heat pumps, not AC-only systems. If rebates are a factor in your decision, a heat pump delivers the same summer cooling as a central AC while qualifying for significant incentives.
Has the IRA 25C federal tax credit expired for AC?
Yes. The Section 25C federal tax credit expired on January 1, 2026 and has not been renewed as of May 2026. There is currently no federal tax credit available for residential AC installation.
How long does permit processing take in Seattle?
In most cases, Product Air pulls the required permits within 4 to 24 hours. For standard residential AC installations, same-day permit approval is common. More complex scopes involving panel upgrades may require additional time, but we coordinate the full timeline and keep the installation schedule on track.
How do I know what size AC system my home needs?
In Seattle, one ton of cooling capacity typically covers 450 to 700 square feet depending on the home’s age, insulation, ceiling height, and sun exposure. Correct sizing requires a Manual J load calculation, not square footage alone. Our free in-home estimate includes a proper sizing assessment. An oversized system short-cycles and leaves humidity problems; an undersized system runs constantly and can’t maintain temperature on the hottest days.
What brands does Product Air install?
For AC, we install Runtru by Trane, Trane Priority, Midea, Carrier, Lennox, and Mitsubishi MXZ multi-zone ductless systems. We also install equipment purchased through Home Depot as an authorized installation partner. Our primary HVAC supplier is Gensco, the largest regional distributor in the Pacific Northwest.
What warranty comes with a Product Air installation?
Product Air provides a 5-to-10-year labor warranty on every installation: no fine print, no exclusions on the work we did. If there is a problem with the installation, we fix it. For manufacturer warranties: most major brands provide 10 years on parts with licensed installation.
As a Mitsubishi Diamond Elite contractor, we register Mitsubishi systems for a 12-year manufacturer warranty. Installation without a license or permit can void manufacturer warranties from the date of installation.
Do you offer financing?
Yes. Through GreenSky, we offer 12-month 0% APR financing for qualified buyers on projects of $1,000 or more. For longer-term financing, a fixed-rate plan at 10.99% APR over 180 months is also available. Financing options are included in your estimate.
How long does an AC installation take?
Simple add-on with no electrical: 8 to 10 hours. Standard installation with electrical: 10 to 12 hours. Complex installation with duct modification and electrical: 12 to 16 hours. In most cases the work is completed in a single day.
What is the annual maintenance cost for AC?
Product Air’s maintenance plan is $149 per year for AC-only service, or $299 per year for full system coverage including both heating and cooling, two visits annually. Regular maintenance is the single most effective way to extend system life and protect the manufacturer warranty over a 15-to-20-year service life.
Disclaimer
This article is current as of June 2026. All prices are real examples based on Product Air installations with equipment and labor costs current as of June 2026, before applicable taxes.
This is not a contractual offer. An accurate price for any specific home is only possible after a free in-person assessment. Product Air provides free estimates with no obligation.
— Serge Nikolin, Co-Founder
Product Air Heating, Cooling and Electric
Marysville · Issaquah · Seattle · Western Washington