Tool · independent publisher, not a contractor
Central AC, heat pump or mini-split: which fits your home?
Ducts, heating needs and how much of the house you cool decide most of it. Answer five questions and the tool shows which system types fit, why, and the published Los Angeles price range for each.
Reviewed · 10 named sources · No named reviewer yet; see our editorial policy.
Compare the three systems for your home
Ranges are published by named LA HVAC companies and a cost publisher, not by us. Sizes are a starting point; the contractor's Manual J sets the real size.
How to use the tool
- Ducts. Look in the attic or crawlspace, or at the registers. "Old or leaky" covers original ducts in a pre-1980 house, crushed runs, or rooms that never cool.
- Heating. Say whether you keep the furnace, it is near the end, or you have a wall heater or nothing.
- Scope. The whole house, or a few rooms, an addition or an ADU.
- Size and zones. Pick the tons nearest your floor area at 600 sq ft per ton, and the number of rooms a mini-split would serve.
- Utility. The name on your electric bill. The cards update as you change any answer.
How the tool decides what fits
Each card gets one of three labels. The rules are simple and we show all of them.
| System | Good fit when | Weak fit when | Otherwise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central AC | ducts exist, you keep the furnace, and you cool the whole house | no ducts, or only part of the house | possible fit |
| Ducted heat pump | ducts exist, the furnace is old or there is no central heat, whole house | no ducts, or only part of the house | possible fit |
| Ductless mini-split | no ducts, or only part of the house | never | possible fit |
Old or leaky ducts add a note to both ducted cards to budget for repair; no ducts adds a note that new ducts come first. The utility answer changes only the rebate sentence on the heat pump card. The price line reads the published range at your size, or at your zone count for the mini-split.
Worked examples
What the tool shows for three answer sets, using the ranges it reads today.
| Home | Central AC | Ducted heat pump | Mini-split |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Good ducts, keeping the furnace, whole house, 3 tons, 2 zones | Good fit, $8,000–$16,000 | Possible fit, $12,000–$15,000 | Possible fit, $9,000–$12,500 |
| 2. Leaky ducts, furnace near the end, whole house, 4 tons, SCE | Possible fit, $9,500–$19,000 | Good fit, $14,500–$18,000 | Possible fit, $9,000–$12,500 |
| 3. No ducts, wall heater, a few rooms, 3 zones | Weak fit | Weak fit | Good fit, $12,000–$16,500 |
Home 1 is the like-for-like swap: a healthy furnace stays and only the condenser and coil change. Home 2 faces two replacements at once, so one heat pump that also heats makes sense; the SCE answer adds that TECH's single-family incentive has been reserved since 14 November 2025. Home 3 is a Pasadena Craftsman or a converted garage, where running ducts is the expensive part.
The price ranges behind the cards
| Size | Central AC | Ducted heat pump |
|---|---|---|
| 2 tons | $6,500–$12,000 | $9,000–$11,500 |
| 3 tons | $8,000–$16,000 | $12,000–$15,000 |
| 4 tons | $9,500–$19,000 | $14,500–$18,000 |
| 5 tons | $11,000–$25,000 | $17,000–$22,000 |
Central AC: Reliable H&A and Cold Cloud. Heat pump by size: E & A Mechanical only (least settled); all sizes $8,000–$17,000. Mini-split by zone: 1 zone $4,000–$7,500, 2 zones $9,000–$12,500, 3 zones $12,000–$16,500, 4 zones $15,000–$20,000. Ranges are pre-rebate.
Los Angeles context
Your electric utility decides the rebate. LADWP serves the City of Los Angeles and pays per ton on qualifying heat pumps; Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena run their own city utilities with their own programs. Most other suburbs are on SCE, where no single-family heat pump incentive is open as of our last check. Use the rebate lookup.
Heat changes the case for a system. Woodland Hills averages 115.3 days a year at 90 °F or above on NOAA's normals; LAX averages 4.8. In the Valley the cooling load is larger and a whole-house ducted system earns its keep; near the coast a single mini-split zone may cover the few hot afternoons.
Every option needs a permit. A ducted change-out triggers Title 24 duct sealing and testing, and a heat pump that adds a circuit needs an electrical permit too. See permits in Los Angeles and ducted vs ductless.
Assumptions and limits
- Central AC ranges assume usable ducts and keep the furnace.
- Heat pump ranges by size come from one company, so the card also shows the all-sizes band.
- The size menu uses the 600 sq ft per ton rule LA price guides print. It is a price lookup, not a sizing method; prepare for a Manual J with the sizing prep sheet.
- No running-cost figure is shown here. For that, use the running-cost calculator with your own rates.
- Panel upgrades, crane lifts and asbestos abatement are not in the card prices; see the adders on the cost page.
We are a publisher, not a contractor. Questions about the tool go to hello@acinstallationlosangeles.com.
Sources
- Reliable Heating and Air (Woodland Hills), AC installation cost in LA and Ventura County (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Cold Cloud (Glendale), central air cost in Los Angeles (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- E & A Mechanical (Tujunga), heat pump installation cost in Los Angeles (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- HVACProjectCost.com, Los Angeles HVAC replacement cost (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- LA Heating and Air Conditioning (Woodland Hills), heat pump installation cost in Los Angeles (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Affordable Heating and Air (Chatsworth), AC replacement cost in Los Angeles (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- LADWP, "Consumer Rebate Program" (retrieved 2026-10-20)
- TECH Clean California, "Single Family Incentives" (retrieved 2026-10-20)
- Energy Code Ace (CEC-supported), Single-Family Compliance Manual ch. 9, § 150.2(b)1E–F, 2022 code text; confirm against the 2025 code in force since 1 January 2026 (retrieved 2026-09-29) — verify before relying on it
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal (stations USW00023174, USW00093134, USW00023152, USC00049785) (retrieved 2026-09-29)
Questions
Which is cheaper to install in Los Angeles, central AC or a heat pump?
On the published 2026 LA ranges, a 3-ton central AC runs $8,000–$16,000 and a 3-ton ducted heat pump $12,000–$15,000. The heat pump also replaces the furnace, so compare it against AC plus a future furnace.
When does a mini-split make more sense than a ducted system?
When the house has no ducts, the ducts are in poor shape, or you are cooling only part of it: an addition, an ADU, a garage conversion or a few rooms. Each zone is a separate indoor head, so cost grows with zone count.
Does this tool tell me what to buy?
No. It rates each system type as a good, possible or weak fit for your answers and shows the published LA price range. A contractor visit and a Manual J load calculation decide the actual system and size.
Why does the tool never subtract a rebate?
Rebate terms change and some programs are closed or reserved. The tool notes whether your utility runs one; the LADWP estimator and the rebate lookup show the current amounts and status.
My ducts are old. Can I still get central AC or a heat pump?
Yes, but budget for repair. A new condenser or coil is an alteration under Title 24, which triggers duct sealing and testing, and old attic ducts often fail the leakage test.
Next step
Free quote request
Get a quote to check against these numbers
- Tell us about the job. Service, ZIP, property and timing. The form says right away if your ZIP is outside the area.
- We check the license first. Requests go only to contractors whose CSLB C-20 license we have matched on the state register. If none covers your ZIP yet, we email you and say so.
- Compare what comes back. Line the written quote up against the published ranges and the quote checklist.
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