What does it cost to replace just the air handler or furnace in New Orleans?
Replacing only the indoor unit of a New Orleans AC had a median applicant-reported cost of $10,600 for an air handler and $8,700 for a gas furnace, on permits filed October 2024 through September 2026. Both numbers come with a catch: a single company filed 60% of the air-handler permits and 79% of the furnace-only ones, so the medians largely describe its prices. Without that company, the air-handler median is $8,400.
Prices from the permits
| Job | Permits | Middle half of costs | Median | Median without the largest filer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air handler only | 108 | $7,800–$13,500 | $10,600 | $8,400 |
| Gas furnace only | 82 | $7,100–$11,500 | $8,700 | Too few to say |
Where the last column says “Too few to say”, fewer than 30 permits remain once that company’s are taken out. If a furnace quote comes in well below $8,700, that may just mean a different contractor, not a corner being cut.
Air handler or furnace?
Both sit indoors and blow air through the ducts. An air handler heats with electric strips or a heat pump. A furnace burns gas. Each one usually holds or sits under the evaporator coil, the cold half of the refrigerant circuit. Replacing the indoor unit without the outdoor condenser works only if the coil and condenser still make a matched, rated pair on the same refrigerant. AHRI says a system performs as rated only when it is properly matched and correctly installed. The same question in reverse, for the outdoor unit, is on the condenser cost page.
A quote for an indoor-only replacement should say whether the coil stays, and should name the certified match with the existing condenser. What a good replacement quote includes has the full list.
Reading these numbers
Costs are what the applicant wrote on the permit, for one-system permits filed October 2024 through September 2026 with a reported cost from $1,000 to $60,000. “Replace air handler” counts here; “replace air handler and condenser” counts as a whole system. A row needs 30 permits before it shows a price. The full method is on the main cost page.