Every property manager who has been quoted an RTU replacement has asked the same question at some point: is this number fair? It is a hard question to answer on your own, because almost nobody in commercial HVAC publishes real pricing. We do, because a property manager who can tell a fair quote from a padded one is a better customer for everyone in this trade, including us.
RTU Replacement Cost in Orlando: The Short Answer
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| RTU diagnostic / service call | $225 – $375 |
| RTU replacement, 3–5 ton package unit | $9,500 – $18,000 |
| RTU replacement, 7.5–12.5 ton package unit | $18,000 – $38,000 |
Those ranges cover the equipment, curb-matched set, electrical hookup, startup and commissioning for a straightforward swap. A quote meaningfully below the bottom of its range is usually missing something — often disposal of the old unit, a real commissioning check, or a matched curb adapter that gets added as a change order once the crew is already on the roof.
What actually drives the price up
1. Curb mismatch
Rooftop units set onto a metal curb that is built to the old unit’s exact footprint and duct openings. When a new unit’s base does not match that curb — which happens constantly, since manufacturers change frame dimensions across model years — the job needs a curb adapter or a rebuilt curb before the new unit can be set and sealed. That is sheet-metal fabrication and roofing labor added to the job, and on a multi-unit rooftop it can add several thousand dollars across the project. We measure the existing curb during the estimate specifically to catch this before crane day, not after.
2. Electrical service upgrades
Newer, higher-efficiency units frequently draw amperage differently than the unit they are replacing — sometimes less, sometimes more depending on compressor type and staging. If the existing disconnect, breaker or feeder was sized tight to the old unit, the new one may need a panel upgrade, a larger disconnect, or new conductor run from the electrical room to the roof. On an older building with a panel that is already near capacity, this single item can add $1,500 to $5,000-plus to a job that otherwise looked like a simple swap.
3. Crane access
Package units over roughly 5 tons are usually too heavy and bulky to hand-carry up a ladder or through a hatch, so they go up by crane. Crane cost depends on how close a truck can get to the building, whether overhead lines or nearby structures limit boom angle, and whether the lift has to happen after hours to avoid blocking a parking lot or loading dock during business hours. A straightforward crane lift on an accessible building might run a few hundred dollars; a tight urban site with a long boom reach and an after-hours restriction can run several times that.
4. Ductwork changes
If the replacement unit is not a true like-for-like tonnage match — which is common, since load calculations sometimes reveal the old unit was mis-sized to begin with — the supply and return duct transitions at the curb may need modification to fit the new unit’s connection points and airflow. Minor transition work is routine; a unit that is stepping up or down more than a ton or two in size can require duct resizing to avoid the noise, static pressure and comfort problems that come with forcing mismatched airflow through unchanged ductwork.
Financing and timing considerations
An unplanned RTU failure in July, when the unit has to come out of service immediately, gives you almost no leverage on price or scheduling — you are buying whatever equipment can be sourced fastest, on whatever crane slot is available that week. A replacement planned during the shoulder season, once a unit is showing its age but has not failed outright, gives you room to get multiple quotes, schedule the crane and downtime around off-peak hours, and in some cases negotiate on equipment lead time. If your unit is past 10–12 years old, it is worth getting an inspection now rather than waiting for the failure to force the schedule.
Financing terms for commercial equipment vary by lender and by the property’s existing banking relationships, so we do not quote blanket numbers here — ask your estimator what payment structures they can support, and get any financing terms in writing alongside the equipment quote itself.
What we’d tell you on our estimate
We measure the existing curb, check the panel and disconnect capacity, and walk the roof for crane access before we hand you a number. If a like-for-like tonnage swap is not the right call for your building’s actual load, we say so during the estimate rather than after the crane bill shows up. Full detail on the installation process lives on our RTU replacement page, and if your unit might still be repairable rather than due for full replacement, see our RTU repair page first. We quote buildings across Orange County and the surrounding Orlando metro at no charge.