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How this works

This worksheet helps a US homeowner compare real repair and replacement quotes for HVAC, roofs, water heaters, and electrical panels. It does not diagnose a fault, determine structural or electrical safety, or predict remaining life.

The calculation

Repair cash due equals the repair quote minus warranty coverage you enter. You can enter up to three replacement proposals. Each retains its own installed price, confirmed discount or rebate, itemized-scope answer, included-work checklist, and optional energy-savings claim. Select one proposal to compare with the repair. Replacement cash due equals that selected price minus its own confirmed credit. The upfront difference is replacement cash due minus repair cash due. A positive result means replacing requires more cash now; a negative result means less. A credit larger than its quote is rejected. The checklist records only items the user found in writing; unchecked items are unconfirmed. The lowest net price is identified only when all entered proposals have a confirmed itemized scope; even then, equipment, exclusions, and warranties can differ.

If you enter annual energy savings from a proposal and replacement costs more upfront, we divide the upfront difference by that annual amount for a simple break-even scenario. We also show the upfront gap minus five or ten years of that same saving. Neither is a forecast: future repairs, financing, energy-price changes, and the time value of money are excluded. We never invent savings, local rebates, tax credits, or failure probabilities. A difference in upfront cost is not a recommendation to authorize work.

ZIP and energy data

A ZIP lookup returns a city and state from Zippopotam.us; it does not verify a street address. You can select the state yourself. For an electric project, the worksheet shows the US Energy Information Administration's residential state-average electricity price from Table 5.6.B, year-to-date through the period displayed in the result. The data snapshot records its retrieval time and source. If you enter documented annual kWh savings for a proposal, the worksheet multiplies that by the state-average cents/kWh to create an approximate dollar scenario. You may instead enter the rate from your utility bill, which takes priority over the state average. Your actual tariff, fuel mix, seasonal use, and future prices can differ.

For heating and cooling projects, ZIP coordinates are matched to an available NOAA 1991–2020 annual climate-normal station within 75 miles. The lookup expands its search area if needed and selects the closest station within that area. We show the station name, approximate distance, and base-65°F heating and cooling degree days. This is context for a sizing conversation, not the home's load calculation or predicted savings; nearby stations can differ from your property. BLS occupational wages and Census housing characteristics are not used to estimate installed price because neither describes the quote for this home. If a state is selected for an eligible project type, we link to the Department of Energy's Home Energy Rebates page, but we do not infer program availability or subtract an unconfirmed rebate.

Why the questions change

The next question prioritizes a written assessment, then warranty coverage, then a complete project-specific replacement scope. An unanswered item remains unknown—it is never treated as confirmed. Age and recent repair count add context but do not create a reliability score. A reported safety hazard stops the financial comparison because safety requires qualified assessment.

What to check in an HVAC replacement proposal

Sources

Last reviewed: September 2026. Energy programs and rules can change. The page links to original authorities so you can verify the current position before committing to a project.