AC Installation in Georgetown, KY
A new air conditioner in Georgetown will run from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Scott County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of real heat, then the unit sits idle
Georgetown gets four months of cooling season, June through September, with summer afternoons averaging 85°F. A new system spends the rest of the year mostly off, then has to carry the full load once it warms up.
Any central air conditioner installed new has to meet 14.3 SEER2, the federal minimum since 2023. Scott County has also logged 65 damaging wind events and 6 hail events in the last ten years, so the outdoor unit is worth setting where it has some protection, not just where it's convenient to run the lines.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 6 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 13.4 SEER2
- the federal minimum any new unit must meet
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Going above the federal minimum saves little here, about $10 a year.
Estimates for a typical Scott County home, from EIA household energy data, Kentucky fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Kentucky requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license comes from the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, and the state tested the contractor before handing it out. It covers the contractor as a whole, not the specific job at your house. Anyone installing your air conditioner in Kentucky is supposed to be carrying that license.
The license is what stands behind the contractor's name. The permit is what stands behind the work itself. In most cities and counties here, an air conditioner installation needs a permit from the local building office, and the job gets inspected once it's done. That inspection is separate from the license and checks the install itself, not the company that did it.
Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, your ceiling height, how much shade and sun your walls and windows get, and how well the house holds a temperature once it's set. A unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels damp. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on square footage alone, since two houses the same size can need different tonnage.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit were installed together and matched, replacing just the outdoor unit can throw that match off and hurt how well the system cools. Refrigerant type is also a factor. Older systems use a refrigerant that's being phased out, and a new outdoor unit built for the current refrigerant won't run on the old lines. A contractor can look at the age and condition of the indoor coil and tell you whether it makes sense to pair it with new equipment or replace both.
- Do HVAC contractors in Georgetown need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Kentucky requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. The license belongs to the contractor, not to a single job, so it covers the person or company doing the work rather than getting renewed for each install. Installing a new air conditioner also typically needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is finished.