Life expectancy for HVAC system in The Villages?
 

Hearing changes coming out next year that will cause a significant cost increase to replace a/c system in homes. New to Florida and curious - what is anticipated "normal" life expectancy of A/C system in Villages homes?

15 years. I don't think the cost increase will be as high as you have heard.

HVAC tech told me 14 years but added that it’s not worth replacing until it needs a major repair. The air handler motor or defrost control board, while expensive, were not the major repairs he meant.

Our is 17 years old and running good. What are these changes coming out next year that will significantly increase replacement costs and what is your source?

As of January 1, new Refrigerant will be phased in.

What to Know About the 2025 HVAC Refrigerant Change - Air Conditioning Blog - Rheem Manufacturing Company

Key word "phased" in, this has been done several times over the years, and the existing refrigerants will still be available for 10 or 20 years, you can still by R22. I would not be too concerned, just beware of the installer hype.

It is illegal to manufacture or import R22 into the US. It has been, since 2020.

There is still *some* legacy supply being reclaimed, but it's getting harder to find and ridiculously expensive. I just paid $150/lb installed, in Boston.

My A/C outside unit lasted about 10 years. Up north I got over 15 years. Try 8 to 14 as a guess for FL.

Till A coil rusts out and starts leaking. In my case took 21 years. My new carrier system cost 8300. About 14 months ago.

The changes were related to the refrigerant changes I believe. Was from a tech who was servicing our mini split. Indicated that a replacement cost for a unit like we have now is about 9-10K (a higher end unit) and beginning next year would start at 11K for a lower end unit and higher end would be about 13K.

Technicians often make statements to sound knowledgeable, when they really don't have any actual information to support what they are saying. I don't know how the new rules will affect the cost of new HVAC systems, but I don't think the technician does either. The cost of HVAC systems is based more on marketing, than on the cost of the refrigerant alone.

What vendor did the Tech work for?

It is illegal to manufacture some older refrigerants, but it is also illegal to dispose of refrigerants when removing an older HVAC unit. They must be accounted for and recycled.

I'm replacing a mini-split in NH, this week. It's a Fujitsu and produces heat when the outside is as low as -5F. 15,400 BTU's. $4900, installed.

I didn't interpret the prices in the post to necessarily apply to mini split units. The post was not clear as to whether the tech was estimating a mini split or a whole house system.