Seasonal tune-up and full diagnostic on your Carrier, Trane, or Goodman system - readings shown to you before any repair is proposed
Diagnosis first, numbers second - you approve the repair price before a single part goes in.
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AfterHow Much Does HVAC Cost in San Antonio?
Most HVAC work in San Antonio falls between $80 and $7,500, depending on whether you’re repairing, maintaining, or replacing equipment. A standard tune-up runs $80 – $200, an AC repair lands at $150 – $650, a furnace repair at $150 – $700, and a full AC installation at $3,500 – $7,500. Those are the real numbers for this market, and we put them in writing before any work starts.
We’re Dalton Heating & Air, a Garrison Partners company, and we’ve been servicing San Antonio homes since 2003. This guide covers what you’ll actually pay here in 2026, what pushes those prices up or down, and how to keep more of your money in your pocket. To see how these figures fit into the full range of work we do, start at our home page.
HVAC Cost Breakdown (2026)
Here’s the line-item pricing we quote most often in San Antonio. These ranges assume standard residential equipment and a single-system home.
| Service | Typical Cost Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AC Repair | $150 – $650 | Diagnostic through most common part failures |
| Furnace Repair | $150 – $700 | Igniter, blower, control board, gas valve work |
| AC Installation | $3,500 – $7,500 | Full system, standard tonnage, including labor |
| Tune-Up / Maintenance | $80 – $200 | Coil cleaning, refrigerant check, electrical inspection |
The spread inside each range comes down to parts, tonnage, and access. A $150 repair is usually a capacitor or a clogged condensate line. A $650 repair is a compressor or a blower motor on a system that needs refrigerant work too. On installation, a 2-ton system in a 1,200-square-foot home on the far South Side sits near the bottom of that band, while a 5-ton system with new ductwork in Stone Oak pushes toward the top.
What drives cost up: brand-tier equipment, higher efficiency ratings (SEER2 over 16), duct modifications, and attic installations where a San Antonio summer attic hits 140°F by 10 a.m. What drives cost down: a simple part swap, a system still under manufacturer warranty, and routine maintenance that catches problems before they compound. If you’re weighing a new system against a repair, our guide on AC installation in San Antonio walks through the decision.
What Affects HVAC Pricing in San Antonio
- System age and brand. We service Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, York, Daikin, Bryant, and American Standard. Parts availability and pricing vary by brand, and a 12-year-old unit usually costs more to repair than a five-year-old one because more components are near end of life.
- San Antonio’s climate load. We run our systems hard here. A unit in Alamo Heights that cools from April through October accumulates runtime hours that shorten component life, so parts fail sooner and more often than in cooler markets.
- Home age and duct condition. Pre-1980 homes in areas like Monte Vista often have duct systems sized for older equipment. Mismatched ducts force the blower to work harder and can add $400 – $1,500 to a job when they need sealing or resizing.
- Attic access. Most San Antonio homes run air handlers and ductwork through the attic. Tight attic access and summer heat add labor time on every repair and installation.
- Refrigerant type. Older R-22 systems cost more to recharge than R-410A and R-32 systems because R-22 is phased out and priced accordingly. A recharge on R-22 can run toward the top of the repair band.
- Time of year. Peak cooling season (June through September) is our busiest stretch. Emergency calls during a heat advisory sometimes carry a premium, which is one more reason to schedule maintenance in spring.
One local pattern worth naming: in Natomas and the newer subdivisions on the far West Side, we regularly see condenser fan motor failures in the third or fourth summer, largely because those builds often use builder-grade motors that weren’t spec’d for the runtime. Knowing the neighborhood helps us stock the right part on the truck.
How to Save on HVAC
You don’t have to pay peak pricing. A few moves make a real difference:
- Schedule a tune-up in spring, before the rush. An $80 – $200 maintenance visit in March or April is the cheapest money you’ll spend on your system all year. It catches weak capacitors and low refrigerant before they strand you in July.
- Change your filter monthly during cooling season. San Antonio’s dust and pollen load clog filters faster than most homeowners expect. A restricted filter is the single most common cause of preventable blower failure.
- Get the price in writing before work starts. This is The Garrison Standard, and it’s also how you avoid the quote-one-price, charge-another routine. You should never hear a new number after the technician is already under the house.
- Ask about repair vs. replace honestly. The rule of thumb we use: if the repair costs more than a third of a new system and the unit is past 10 years, replacement usually wins long-term. We’ll tell you which side of that line you’re on.
- Keep your service records. Maintenance history matters for warranty claims and gives the next technician a real baseline instead of a guess.
Estimates are free, and so is the second opinion. Call us and we’ll give you a written price before anything gets touched. If you want the full picture on what a replacement involves, our page on AC repair in San Antonio covers when repair makes more sense than a new system.
FAQs – HVAC Cost
How much does an AC repair cost in San Antonio?
Most AC repairs in San Antonio run $150 – $650. A capacitor or contactor swap sits at the low end; a compressor or blower motor with a refrigerant recharge sits at the high end. Call (361) 306-9515 for an exact quote. Estimates are free, and the price is in writing before any work begins.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace my AC unit?
Repair is usually cheaper if your system is under 10 years old and the fix costs less than a third of a new install. Replacement tends to win if the unit is past 12 years and the repair is a major component like the compressor. A new AC installation in San Antonio runs $3,500 – $7,500. We’ll give you both numbers side by side and let you decide. Call (361) 306-9515 to set that up.
How much does furnace repair cost in San Antonio?
Furnace repair here runs $150 – $700, with most calls landing around $250 – $450. Igniters, flame sensors, and control boards are the common failures. Even in a warm climate, a furnace that won’t fire is a problem worth fixing fast. Call (361) 306-9515 and we’ll come out, diagnose it, and hand you a written price before we start.
Do you charge for estimates?
No. Estimates are free, and the price you’re quoted is the price you pay. That written price comes before any work starts on every job, from a $150 repair to a full system install, with no exceptions. It’s built into The Garrison Code. Call (361) 306-9515 to schedule.
What does an HVAC tune-up cost in San Antonio?
A tune-up runs $80 – $200 depending on system size and how much cleaning is needed. That includes coil cleaning, a refrigerant charge check, electrical inspection, and a filter change. It’s the least expensive way to extend your system’s life. Call (361) 306-9515 and we’ll get you on the schedule.
Who Shows Up Matters as Much as the Price
Anybody can hand you a low number over the phone and change it at the door. We don’t. Dalton Heating & Air is a Garrison Partners company, and every job follows The Garrison Standard: arrival inside the stated window, price in writing before we start, work done by the book, site left clean, and every repair backed by a written guarantee for a full year. If the repair fails inside that window, we come back at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it isn’t an upgrade; it’s included.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, so you know who’s coming before the doorbell rings. Our phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no voicemail queue and no callback window. And we’re factory-trained to service nine major brands, so the odds are strong we already know your system. See the full scope of what we handle on our heat pump installation page or reach out for anything else.
Whether it’s a $150 capacitor or a $7,500 installation, you get the same terms. That’s the whole point.
Get Your Written Price Today
Free estimate, written price before any work starts, and a full-year guarantee on every repair. Call Dalton Heating & Air at (361) 306-9515 and talk to a real person, day or night. We’ll tell you what’s wrong, what it costs, and what your options are. No pressure, no surprise numbers, no mess left behind.
Pricing reflects the San Antonio market as of 2026. Dalton Heating & Air offers free estimates – call (361) 306-9515.
Written by Marco Benitez, Owner at Dalton Heating & Air, serving San Antonio since 2003.
What Our Customers Say
"Honest, direct people. Told me what the furnace needed and nothing more, and the bill matched."
- Eliza S."Coil cleaning and a refrigerant check before summer. AC has never been this cold."
- Marty D."Good communication, tidy, and disciplined work. Taped off the floor and wiped the unit down."
- Karen J.