Short answerFor typical market pricing in Washtenaw and western Wayne County, a new 2 to 3 ton central air conditioner installed with a matched indoor coil runs roughly $5,000 to $9,500 in 2026. The low end is a 14.3 SEER2 single-stage unit swapped onto a sound line set; the high end is a two-stage or variable-speed system with a new coil, line set, electrical and permit.
The range and what it covers
Typical market pricing across Washtenaw and western Wayne County in 2026 puts a replacement central air conditioner, 2 to 3 tons, installed with a matched evaporator coil, somewhere between roughly $5,000 and $9,500. Four- and five-ton systems for larger homes in Northville or Superior Township run higher. Variable-speed systems with communicating controls can exceed the top of the range.
These are market numbers gathered from what homeowners in the area report being quoted, not our price list. We give free in-home estimates on replacements because an AC quote without seeing the furnace, the coil, the line set and the panel is a guess. Our AC installation page explains how that visit goes.
What "a new AC" actually includes
A central air replacement is not one box. It is:
- The outdoor condensing unit, which holds the compressor, condenser coil and fan.
- The indoor evaporator coil, which sits on top of the furnace in the supply plenum. It must be matched to the outdoor unit for the system to hit its efficiency rating and to keep the warranty valid.
- The line set, the two copper lines between them.
- A new pad for the condenser.
- Electrical: the outdoor disconnect, the whip, and often a new breaker. A 1960s Livonia ranch with a 60-amp subpanel feeding the AC sometimes needs more.
- A filter drier, evacuation to a deep vacuum, and a weighed-in charge.
- A thermostat if the existing one cannot run the new equipment.
- Permit and inspection.
- Disposal of the old equipment and recovery of the old refrigerant, which is required by law.
A quote that is far below the market range is usually missing the coil, the permit or the evacuation step, and all three come back to haunt you.
Equipment tier: SEER2 and staging
SEER2 is the efficiency rating that replaced SEER in 2023, tested under a more realistic duct pressure. In the northern region, which includes Michigan, the minimum for a new split system is 13.4 SEER2, with most entry-level equipment at 14.3.
- 14.3 SEER2 single-stage: the budget tier. Cools fine, runs loud, cycles on and off at full output, and does a mediocre job on humidity because the cycles are short.
- 16 to 17 SEER2 two-stage: the sweet spot for most homes here. Runs on low stage most of the day, which means long, quiet cycles that pull more moisture out of the air on a 70-dew-point afternoon in Ypsilanti.
- 18 SEER2 and up, variable-speed: the quietest, best humidity control, highest cost, and requires a matched variable-speed furnace or air handler to deliver its rating.
With our cooling season running roughly June through mid-September, the energy payback on going from 14.3 to 16 SEER2 is slower than it is in Georgia. The reason most of our customers choose two-stage is comfort and humidity, not the electric bill. Lower cooling bill and humidity goes into why.
Refrigerant: the 2025 change
New systems manufactured from 2025 on use R-454B or R-32 instead of R-410A. They are mildly flammable (A2L classification), which changes some installation rules, requires new tooling and leak sensors in some configurations, and has pushed equipment prices up modestly. Some contractors still have R-410A units in stock, which can be installed legally and are sometimes a bit cheaper. R-454B and the 2025 refrigerant change covers what it means for you as a buyer. If your current system is R-22, from before 2010, there is no option to reuse any of it; see the R-22 phase-out.
The variables the house introduces
The line set. If the existing copper is the right size, accessible and in good condition, it can be flushed and reused. If it is undersized for the new unit, buried in a finished basement ceiling in a Canton colonial, or kinked, a new line set adds labor and sometimes drywall work.
The furnace. The evaporator coil sits on the furnace. A furnace from the 1990s with a narrow cabinet may not fit a modern coil without a transition. If the furnace is also near the end of its life, replacing both at once is cheaper than two separate jobs, and the matched system qualifies for better rebates; new furnace cost covers that side.
Sizing. A 1,200-square-foot ranch in Wayne needs about 2 tons; a 2,400-square-foot two-story in Pittsfield with a west-facing wall of windows might need 3.5. Bigger is not better: an oversized unit short-cycles and leaves the house clammy. What size air conditioner do I need explains the load calculation.
Electrical. A new 30- or 40-amp breaker and disconnect are routine. A full panel upgrade is not part of an AC quote but is occasionally required on a house with a 100-amp panel that is already full.
Ductwork. The AC can only move the air the ducts allow. A system in a 1950s Garden City ranch with a single 14-inch return will never deliver its rated capacity. Sometimes the best money in the quote is a second return.
Placement. Moving the condenser away from a bedroom window, off a deck, or onto a new pad adds line set and electrical length.
Timing. Equipment pricing has moved up each of the last several years, partly from the refrigerant transition and partly from general inflation in copper and steel. Replacing in October or March, when the schedule is open, is sometimes cheaper than replacing during a July heat wave when every installer in the county is booked. It is also when you can wait a week for the right equipment rather than taking whatever the supply house has on the floor.
Rebates that apply
DTE Energy rebates on qualifying central AC and the federal 25C credit (a percentage of cost up to an annual cap for qualifying efficiency levels) both apply to higher-tier systems. The rules and amounts shift yearly; Michigan HVAC rebates and tax credits has the current shape of each program. A two-stage 16 SEER2 system is the usual qualifying configuration.
How Temprasure quotes an AC
Free estimate, in person, with the furnace cabinet open and the panel cover off. The number is flat-rate and includes the coil, the permit, evacuation, the weighed charge and the disposal, and it does not go up because the line set turned out to be harder to pull. We do not sell a new system to someone whose 10-year-old unit needs a capacitor, and we have told homeowners in Ann Arbor and Belleville to repair rather than replace when the math said so. AC repair cost in Ypsilanti covers the repair side; repair or replace your air conditioner covers the decision.