AC Replacement
Swap a worn-out air conditioner for a correctly sized SEER2 system, with duct testing and permit work handled in one job.
Learn moreCooling in Pasadena, CA
AC installation in Pasadena for homes that never had central air
First-time central air for older Pasadena homes, sized by a room-by-room load calculation and fitted to your attic and floor plan.
- Answering 24/7
- Price quoted before work
- Pasadena and nearby cities
Quick answer
Adding central air to a Pasadena home that never had it starts with a load calculation, not a guess based on square footage. Marco's measures rooms, windows and insulation, then picks a system sized to match, plans the duct routes through the attic or crawlspace, adds the electrical circuit, and handles the city permit. Most first-time installs take two to four working days.
AC Installation
What ac installation covers at your home
A lot of Pasadena houses were built for an era of open windows, ceiling fans and shade trees. Then summers got longer, and a bedroom that stays at 88 degrees after sunset became hard to sleep in. If your home has never had central air, a new installation is a bigger project than a swap, because there are no ducts, no condensate drain, no outdoor pad and often no spare space in the electrical panel.
That is the work Marco's does from start to finish with our own crews. We look at the attic, the crawlspace, the panel and the yard, and then lay out a plan that fits the house you actually have. You get a written quote with the equipment, the duct layout and the permit steps spelled out before anything is ordered.
Warning signs
Signs your home is ready for a new AC installation
Upstairs rooms stay too hot
Second-floor bedrooms that hold heat long after sunset are the most common reason people call. Window units and portable ACs rarely keep up with a full floor under a hot roof.
Window units everywhere
Three or four window units cost a lot to run, block light and views, and leave hallways and baths warm. One central system can cool every room more quietly and evenly.
You already have a furnace
A gas furnace with existing ducts makes adding AC much simpler. We add an evaporator coil on top of the furnace and run lines to a new outdoor condenser.
Planning an attic remodel
If you are already opening ceilings, adding insulation or reroofing, that is the cheapest moment to run new ducts. Coordinating with your contractor saves labor and patching later.
Wildfire smoke days indoors
Smoke season pushes many families to keep windows shut. A ducted system with a quality filter lets you close up the house without it turning into an oven.
Selling or renting the home
Central air is expected by many buyers and tenants in the San Gabriel Valley. A permitted, properly documented installation is easier to disclose and easier to sell.
Sizing comes from a load calculation, not a rule of thumb
The old shortcut of one ton per 500 square feet leads to oversized equipment in most Pasadena homes. An oversized AC cools the air fast, shuts off before it pulls moisture out, and cycles on and off all afternoon. That wears out parts and leaves rooms feeling clammy. An undersized one runs nonstop on a 102 degree day and still falls behind.
We run a Manual J style load calculation room by room. It accounts for which walls face west, how much single-pane glass you have, whether the attic has R-11 or R-38 insulation, ceiling height, and how many people use the space. The result tells us the tonnage and also the airflow each room needs, which drives the duct design.
Choosing equipment in 2026: SEER2 and the new refrigerants
New air conditioners are rated in SEER2, a tougher test than the old SEER that better reflects real duct conditions. California's minimum for split systems is set by federal rules for the Southwest, and higher-rated two-stage and variable-speed units cost more but run quieter and hold steadier temperatures.
Equipment built for 2025 and later uses A2L refrigerants such as R-454B or R-32 in place of R-410A. These have a much lower global warming impact and are mildly flammable, so installation follows updated rules for leak detection and line set handling. Our technicians work with these refrigerants and install them to the manufacturer's requirements.
- Single-stage units: lowest cost, fine for smaller homes with good insulation
- Two-stage units: run on low most days, quieter and better at removing humidity
- Variable-speed inverter units: smoothest comfort and best efficiency on long hot afternoons
- Heat pumps: cool in summer and heat in winter, worth comparing if your furnace is old
Planning ducts, drains and power in an older house
Running new ducts is where most of the work lives. In a one-story ranch, ducts usually go through the attic with ceiling registers. In a two-story Craftsman, we often need a chase through a closet or a second air handler upstairs. We size each run so bedrooms at the end of the house get enough air.
The indoor coil also needs a condensate drain with a trap, and when the coil sits in an attic, a secondary pan with a float switch that shuts the system off before water reaches your ceiling. On the electrical side, many older panels need a new 240 volt breaker and a disconnect near the condenser. We check panel capacity before we quote.
Step by step
From the first walkthrough to the first cool night
- 1
Home walkthrough
A technician measures rooms and windows, checks the attic and crawlspace, inspects the electrical panel and picks a spot for the outdoor unit away from bedroom windows.
- 2
Load calculation and design
We calculate the cooling load, choose equipment that fits it, and draw a duct layout showing register locations, return paths and the condensate route.
- 3
Written quote and permit
You get the price with model numbers and the scope listed. Once you approve, we pull the permit where your city requires one and order equipment.
- 4
Installation days
Crews set the pad and condenser, install the coil or air handler, run ducts, line set and drain, and wire the new circuit. Most homes take two to four days.
- 5
Startup and walkthrough
We evacuate and charge the system, verify airflow at each register, test the float switch, then show you the thermostat and filter location before signing off.
Typical prices
What a new AC installation costs in Pasadena
First-time AC installation costs more than replacing an existing system because of duct work, electrical upgrades and drain routing. These are typical 2026 ranges for San Gabriel Valley homes. The final price comes after the technician sees the attic, panel and layout, and we quote it before we start.
| Job | Typical range | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| AC coil added to existing furnace and ducts | $6,840 to $11,275 | Condenser, matched coil, line set, pad, electrical disconnect and startup |
| Full system with new attic ductwork | $13,860 to $22,415 | Air handler or furnace, condenser and complete supply and return duct system |
| Electrical circuit and panel work | $587 to $3,190 | New breaker and disconnect at the low end, panel upgrade at the high end |
| Second-floor zone or second air handler | $4,215 to $8,960 | For two-story homes where one system cannot reach upstairs rooms evenly |
Price moves with home size, attic height and access, equipment efficiency, and how much electrical work the panel needs. Ask about current PWP, SCE or SoCalGas rebates and state heat pump incentives when funding is open. Compare other jobs in our Pasadena HVAC price guide.
AC installation in Pasadena homes built before central air
Pasadena has some of the oldest housing stock in the San Gabriel Valley. Craftsman bungalows from the 1900s to 1920s often have low attics with knee walls, board sheathing and old knob and tube wiring that we work around carefully. Spanish Revival homes have thick plaster walls and flat roof sections where ducts are hard to hide. Postwar ranch houses in areas like Hastings Ranch and Chapman Woods are usually the simplest, with open attics and room for a horizontal air handler.
Historic districts can have rules about where an outdoor unit may sit and how visible it is from the street. We place condensers at the side or rear of the house and keep line sets tidy. If you are building an ADU in the backyard, the main house and the new unit can each get their own system, or the ADU can use a ductless mini split on its own circuit.
Related work
Often booked with AC Installation
Ductwork Replacement
New attic ductwork sized for your rooms and equipment, sealed with mastic and leak tested before we call the job done.
Learn moreHeat Pump Installation
New ducted and inverter heat pumps sized to your Pasadena home, with permits, line sets, electrical and duct checks included in the quote.
Learn moreDuctless Mini-Split Installation
Ductless heat pumps for Craftsman bungalows, additions, converted garages and hot upstairs rooms, with head styles chosen room by room.
Learn moreWhere we do AC Installation
Our technicians handle this work all over Pasadena and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley. A few of the places we cover:
Questions
AC Installation questions from Pasadena homeowners
When the house already has a furnace and ducts, adding AC usually takes one to two days. When we install new ductwork through the attic, plan for two to four days, plus the city inspection. Two-story homes with a second air handler can take longer. We give you a schedule with the quote so you can plan around it.
Yes, the City of Pasadena and most neighboring cities require a mechanical permit, and often an electrical permit, for new central air. We handle the permit where the city requires one, schedule the inspection, and meet the inspector. California energy rules may also require duct testing on new duct systems, which we include in the plan.
A wall furnace has no ducts, so central AC cannot connect to it. Your options are a new ducted system with a furnace or heat pump air handler, which replaces the wall furnace, or ductless mini splits that cool and heat individual rooms. We compare both during the walkthrough based on your layout and budget.
We look for a level spot with at least a couple of feet of clearance on each side, good airflow, short line set routes, and distance from bedroom windows and the neighbor's yard. Many cities set minimum distances from property lines. Shade from the house helps a little, but blocked airflow hurts more.
If your gas furnace is more than 15 years old, a heat pump is worth pricing. It cools like an AC and also heats efficiently on Pasadena's mild winter nights. State incentives for heat pumps open and close through the year, so we check what is available when we write your quote.
Need heat or cooling back today?
Call our Pasadena line any hour. A person answers, asks a few questions about the system, and gives you an arrival window.
(626) 879-0711Answering 24 hours, 7 days