AC Installation in Hopkinsville, KY
A new air conditioner in Hopkinsville will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Christian County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of real heat to plan for
Your air conditioner in Christian County works from May through September, and summer afternoons here average 87°F. That is five months of steady runtime every year, not just a few hot weeks.
The outdoor unit sits outside through all of it. Over the last ten years this area has seen 106 damaging wind events and 26 hail events, with hailstones as large as 1.75 inches. Where that unit goes and how it is set matters. Any new central air conditioner installed now also has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 14.3 SEER2.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 26 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 $20 a year.
Estimates for a typical Christian 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.
Kentucky licenses HVAC contractors through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. That license belongs to the contractor, not to this particular job, so it covers the company taking on the work rather than each installation on its own.
For the air conditioner going in on this job, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. The installation itself still goes through the local building office. In most cities and counties here, putting in a new air conditioner needs a permit and an inspection once the work is finished, and that inspection is what checks the job itself.
Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- It depends on more than square footage. A contractor works this out from your square footage, your insulation, how many windows you have and which way they face, and your ceiling height. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels clammy. An undersized one runs constantly and still can't keep up on an 87°F afternoon. A contractor will run a load calculation on your house before recommending a size.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases the outdoor unit and the indoor coil need to match. They're matched by the manufacturer for a specific efficiency rating, and pairing a new outdoor unit with an old coil usually means you lose the efficiency gains you're paying for, sometimes voids the warranty, and can leave the system running poorly. If your indoor coil is old, replacing just the outside condenser rarely makes sense. A contractor can look at the age and condition of both and tell you whether the coil is worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in Hopkinsville 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 is held by the contractor, not by each job they do. Beyond that, installing a new air conditioner in most cities and counties also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is finished.