How Much Does A New HVAC Unit Cost In The Tri-Cities Area?
If you live in the Tri-Cities, you already know how wild our weather can be. One week it’s 18° and spitting snow, the next week you’re sticking to the couch because it’s too humid to be outdoors.
If you’re a homeowner in Bristol, TN, Johnson City, TN, Kingsport, TN, or Blountville, TN, you’ve probably wondered what a new HVAC system really costs here in the Tri-Cities.
That’s why I’m a little blunt when folks ask me this question:
“David, how much does a new HVAC unit cost around here?”
You’re really asking two things:
What’s it going to cost me?
Am I about to make an expensive mistake?
So let me answer both as simply and straighforward as I can.
For a typical home in the Johnson City / Kingsport / Bristol area, a new whole‑home HVAC system usually starts around $5,000 and can run higher from there depending on what you choose and what your home needs.
If you live in Bristol, TN and your system is more than 10–15 years old, budgeting $7,000–$12,000 for a properly sized, professionally installed replacement is usually realistic. For most average‑sized homes in Kingsport, TN, a full HVAC replacement with quality equipment and proper installation still usually lands in that same $7,000–$12,000 window.
Most of the HVAC replacements we do are right here in the Tri-Cities—Bristol, TN, Johnson City, TN, Kingsport, TN, and Blountville, TN—so the price ranges I’m sharing are based on real homes just like yours.
By the end of this article, you should have a realistic budget range, a feel for the options I actually recommend to my own neighbors, and a better sense of where your money is going.
If you’d rather just talk it through with a human, you can always call us at (276) 690‑9222 or schedule a free consultation and I’ll have one of my team walk your home and give you straight answers.
What Do We Actually Recommend Most Often?
We’ve been installing systems since 2011, and we’ve tried just about everything in our climate. Over time, one option has clearly become our go‑to:
Heat pumps
Heat pumps are what we install most often these days in Tennessee and Virginia. In my opinion, for most homes in our area, they give you the best balance of:
- Comfort
- Energy efficiency
- Long‑term operating cost
Instead of burning fuel, a heat pump moves heat. In the winter it pulls heat from the outside air and brings it inside; in the summer it reverses and moves heat out of your home. Same system, year‑round comfort.
A large share of our heat pump installations are in Kingsport, TN, where families want one system that can handle both the winter cold and the summer humidity without breaking the bank.
In Johnson City, TN, many homeowners are upgrading from older, less efficient units to modern heat pumps that cut power bills and keep the house more comfortable year‑round.
We still install furnaces and stand‑alone air conditioners, and those systems typically start around $4,000. But for most homeowners looking at a replacement today, a heat pump is usually the smarter long‑term choice.
If you call our office and tell us your home size and rough age of your system, we can usually narrow it down to a few good options in a five‑minute phone call.
What Is The Cost Of A Heat Pump?
A heat pump usually costs anywhere between $5,000 – $15,000, depending on a few factors.
- Size – The bigger the system you need, the more expensive it is.
- Efficiency Rating – As the systems become more energy efficient, they go up in cost. NOTE: The more efficient a system you install, the lower your energy bills will be for the lifespan of your system.
- Brand – Just like any product, different brands come with different prices. The more elite the brand, the more expensive the system. We like to stick to brands that are reasonably priced, and also very dependable, like Trane.
Our experts will be able to give you some options that will help you get a better idea of the cost you are looking at, and ensure that your space is comfortable.
What Is The Cost Of A Ductless Mini Split System?
A ductless mini split system starts around $5,000 for a single zone, and goes up with each unit you install. It’s roughly $5,000 a unit, so if you outfit the entire home with them, this project usually ranges anywhere from $5,000 – $25,000.
Ductless mini splits are also extremely energy efficient, and require no ductwork, as the name highlights. These systems operate independently from one another, and provide you with zoned heating and cooling. This means you can have one room sitting at 79 degrees, with another at 76, and your unused room can be turned off. This saves energy, and allows homeowners to customize their comfort from room to room.
What Goes Into The Cost Of An Installation?
Lots of people look up the price of an HVAC system, but don’t always know exactly what they are paying for when it comes to the installation. You may look up the manufacturer’s price of a system, or see a DIY mini split online for cheaper than an installation quote, but there’s a good reason why.
Here is what goes into the cost of an HVAC unit installation:
Cost Of Equipment
The first cost is the equipment. This is the most expensive part of any installation.
Labor
Secondly, labor incurs a cost as well. This varies from company to company, with some being more expensive than others. At Complete Comfort, we like to keep our labor costs fair enough to pay our employees what they deserve, while also not putting too big a burden on the customer.
Ductwork
For a ducted system like a heat pump, furnace, or AC, making sure the ductwork is reliable can become a cost. If you need new ductwork installed from scratch, it’s going to make the installation more expensive. If there only needs to be a slight adjustment to the ductwork, it’s going to be a smaller cost. If the ductwork is perfect, it adds no cost to the installation at all.
Location Of Unit
Depending on the location of your HVAC unit, there could be a slight cost difference. For example, if you have plenty of space and there is no issue installing the unit, then no additional cost is incurred. But, if there are walls that need to be removed, trees, bushes, etc., it could mean a higher cost of installation. This is something you should be able to take care of before the HVAC guys get there, and in our experience, this isn’t a big issue in our area.
Saving Money On Your Installation
There are usually opportunities to save money when it comes to installing a new HVAC system. A few things you should look for are:
- Manufacturer Rebates: Some systems come with a rebate from the manufacturer which will reduce the initial cost of installation.
- Local Utility Rebates: In some areas of the country, there are local utility companies that will offer a rebate on new, energy efficient HVAC equipment. In our area, EnergyRight offers rebates ranging from $500 – $1,500 for heat pumps, mini splits, and geothermal heat pumps.
- Financing Options: Lots of companies offer financing that allows you to purchase a system and make simple monthly payments, rather than paying a large cost upfront. Click here to check out our financing options at Complete Comfort! Give us a call at (276) 690-9222 if you have any questions!
Installing A New HVAC System In The Tri-Cities Area
We hope this article has helped you get an idea of what a new HVAC system is going to cost in the Tri-Cities area. We recommend budgeting between $7,000 – $12,000 for a new HVAC system if you are in Johnson City, Kingsport, or Bristol. In some cases it may cost more, but we will also do our best to make sure you take advantage of every opportunity to save money that’s available.
Give us a call at (276) 690-9222 if you have any questions, or would like to learn more about the cost of a new HVAC system for your home!
The owners of this lovely older Federal style home in Marion VA had a 25 year old HVAC system that was consistently needing repairs. As tends to happen, when the hot weather hit, the system started working overtime, and the stress led to more break-downs. The homeowner was an elderly woman and her son was helping her maintain the property, but needed to do so from his home out of state. That made getting prompt and courteous service important as well. The frequent breakdowns were causing a lot of stress, and were becoming more than just inconvenient. 
Once the family decided on the right system for the home, the next concern was installation. The team from Complete Comfort made sure to let the homeowner know when we would be there, what to expect, and how long the job would take. Here at Complete Comfort, we take pride in caring for your home like it was our own, and we know having a whole crew in your home can be stressful, especially when it’s hot weather and a speedy replacement is important. We worked to remove the old system and install the new Trane heating and air conditioning system quickly and efficiently, completing the job in one day, to get the home back to comfort as quickly as possible.
At Complete Comfort, many of our team have lived in this community for our whole lives. That means we’re friends and neighbors, and take the responsibility that goes with that seriously. So when one of the owner’s former teachers called and became a customer, we were pretty excited! After all, no one is perfect in school, and if your teacher trusts you with their home and HVAC system, it’s like bringing home a gold star on your report card all over again.
Most people take their HVAC system for granted until it doesn’t operate. It sits there quietly doing its job, day in and day out, until something goes wrong, and then it can be a real problem. And just like people, systems tend to develop problems when they are under stress- when we have a patch of really hot or really cold weather- this can send aging systems into overdrive and they can break down.