Free Republic

These sweltering summer months are impossible to get through without a little air conditioning. Using cross ventilation can supercharge your cooling setup during milder weather, but during blazing hot spells, only a highly functional AC will do. Air conditioning units need to be cleaned just like other appliances, and putting it off will cause that precious machine to putter along and waste expensive energy while doing so.

Apparently this is standard price for the install, sales taxes, labor, disposal fee, "code upgrades," etc. My next door neighbor paid the same amount last year. Sucks to be a homeowner w/o construction skills in a blue state. I half think people in the trades push for code upgrades to make everything cost more. And they seemed shocked that I would question their prices. Got a 10% discount FWIW.