What Westchester Homeowners Actually Pay for HVAC
HVAC in Westchester is expensive and complicated. The county has some of the oldest housing stock in the New York metro area, and a lot of it was built with heating systems that haven't been manufactured in decades.
Oil boilers. Steam radiators. Gravity-fed hot air systems. These are still running in homes across the county, and replacing them isn't as simple as swapping one unit for another. Many pre-1970 homes don't have ductwork, which means central AC or a ducted heat pump requires either building ducts or going ductless.
HVAC costs here run 20 to 30% above the national average. Here's what homeowners are paying.
2026 HVAC Cost Breakdown
Prices from HVAC contractors working in Westchester. The wide ranges reflect the difference between straightforward replacements and complex installations in older homes.
| Job Type | Typical Range | What Affects Price |
|---|---|---|
| Central AC installation (3-ton) | $5,500 – $12,000 | Ductwork modifications extra. Older homes without ducts cost more. |
| Furnace replacement (gas, 80-96% AFUE) | $4,500 – $9,000 | High-efficiency (96% AFUE) costs 30-50% more upfront |
| Heat pump (ducted air-source) | $6,000 – $12,000 | Federal tax credit up to $2,000 + NYSERDA rebates |
| Ductless mini-split (single zone) | $3,000 – $6,000 | Multi-zone systems: $6,000-15,000 |
| Full system replacement (furnace + AC) | $12,000 – $22,000 | Saves $1,000-2,000 vs. separate installations |
| Boiler replacement (gas or oil) | $5,000 – $12,000 | Oil-to-gas conversion adds $3,000-5,000 |
| HVAC repair (diagnostic + common fix) | $200 – $800 | Compressor or blower motor: $800-2,000 |
How Costs Vary by Town
HVAC costs in Westchester depend heavily on what's already in your house.
Scarsdale has the highest HVAC costs in the county. Nearly half the homes were built before 1939. They're large (most are 2,500+ sq ft), they often have oil boilers with steam radiators, and they don't have ductwork. Converting from oil steam heat to a modern system in a Scarsdale home can run $25,000 to $40,000 when you factor in the boiler, AC, ductwork, and oil tank removal.
Yonkers has a lot of multi-family buildings with aging boiler systems. Individual apartment heating upgrades are less common because most buildings have central boilers. For single-family homes, Yonkers costs run below the county average because the homes are smaller.
White Plains is a mixed market. Downtown condos and apartments have their own HVAC challenges (building restrictions, noise ordinances for outdoor units). The Gedney Farms and Highlands neighborhoods have 1920s-1940s homes that are similar to Scarsdale in their HVAC complexity, just on slightly smaller homes.
Ossining sits on hilly terrain along the Hudson. The steepness matters for HVAC because outdoor condenser placement gets tricky on steep lots. About 33% of homes predate 1939, with another 32% from the 1940s-60s. Hudson River humidity also means AC is more of a necessity here than in northern Westchester.
Northern Westchester (Somers, Yorktown Heights, Katonah) tends toward larger properties and colder winters. Heat pump systems perform well here but need backup heating for the coldest days. Propane and oil are more common up north due to limited natural gas infrastructure.
The Oil Heat Dilemma
A lot of Westchester homes still run on oil heat. It was the standard when these houses were built, and the systems work. The problem is cost.
Heating oil prices in the New York metro area have been volatile. In recent years, homeowners have paid $3.50 to $5.50 per gallon, and a typical Westchester home burns 700 to 1,200 gallons per winter. That's $2,450 to $6,600 per year just for heat.
The alternatives are natural gas (where available) or heat pumps. Gas conversions require running a gas line from the street to your house ($3,000 to $5,000) plus a new gas boiler or furnace ($4,500 to $9,000). Total cost for an oil-to-gas conversion: $7,500 to $14,000.
Heat pumps are the other option. A ducted air-source heat pump costs $6,000 to $12,000, and federal tax credits (up to $2,000) plus NYSERDA rebates can offset $3,000 to $5,000 of that. The catch: if your home doesn't have ductwork, you either need to install it ($5,000 to $15,000) or go with ductless mini-splits.
Mini-splits are popular in Westchester for exactly this reason. A single-zone unit costs $3,000 to $6,000 and handles one room or area. A multi-zone system covering a whole house runs $6,000 to $15,000. No ductwork needed.
Permit Requirements
HVAC permits are required in most Westchester municipalities for new installations, replacements, and significant modifications. Gas line work requires additional permits.
Key offices: - White Plains Building Department: (914) 422-1269. Permits required for all HVAC work. - Yonkers Housing & Buildings: (914) 377-6500. Permits required. - Scarsdale Building Department: (914) 722-1140. Mechanical heating permit required. - New Rochelle Building Department: (914) 654-2035. All documentation submitted online. - Ossining Building Department: (914) 941-3199. Email permits@villageofossining.org.
Equipment must meet current NY energy code requirements, which set higher efficiency minimums than federal standards. Your HVAC contractor should handle the permit and final inspection.
Best Time to Replace Your HVAC
The best time to replace heating or cooling equipment is when you don't need it.
Spring (March through May) is the sweet spot. Contractors have open schedules between the winter heating rush and summer AC rush. You'll get faster scheduling, sometimes better pricing, and the installation won't leave you without heat or AC during the worst weather.
Fall (September through November) is second best for heating replacements. You're getting ahead of the first cold snap, and contractors haven't hit their busy season yet.
The worst times: replacing AC in July and replacing a furnace or boiler in January. Everyone else in the county is calling at the same time. Wait times stretch to 2 to 4 weeks, and emergency replacements always cost more.
Annual maintenance matters. A tune-up costs $150 to $300 per year. Most contractors offer maintenance plans that include priority service, which means you go to the front of the line when something breaks in February. That alone is worth the cost.
Tax Credits and Rebates
Federal and state programs can offset a big chunk of HVAC costs in 2026.
Federal tax credits: Up to $2,000 for heat pumps (ducted or ductless). Up to $600 for high-efficiency furnaces and boilers. These are tax credits, not deductions, so they reduce your tax bill dollar for dollar.
NYSERDA rebates: New York offers additional rebates for heat pump installations through the Clean Heat program. The amount varies by system size and type, but $1,000 per ton is typical. A 3-ton heat pump could qualify for $3,000 in state rebates on top of the federal credit.
Between federal and state programs, you could offset $3,000 to $5,000 on a heat pump installation. Ask your HVAC contractor which programs apply to your specific equipment and whether they handle the paperwork.
The Bottom Line
Most Westchester homeowners pay $5,500 to $12,000 for central AC, $4,500 to $9,000 for a furnace, and $3,000 to $6,000 for a ductless mini-split. Full system replacements run $12,000 to $22,000. Oil-to-gas or oil-to-heat-pump conversions are the biggest projects, often $15,000 to $25,000 all-in.
The smartest move right now is to get quotes in spring, take advantage of federal and NYSERDA rebates, and replace both heating and cooling at the same time if either is over 15 years old. Combined installations save $1,000 to $2,000 and ensure your new equipment is matched properly.
Get three quotes from licensed HVAC contractors who work in your town. They should know the local permit process and be able to walk you through available rebates.
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Alex Colombo is the founder of Westchester AI, a technology consulting firm serving businesses across Westchester County and the tri-state area. When he's not helping local companies modernize their operations, he's researching what home improvement actually costs in the area so homeowners don't walk into quotes blind.