AC Installation in Mount Washington, KY
A new air conditioner in Mount Washington will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Bullitt County will get in touch.
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Five months of real heat in Mount Washington
From May through September your air conditioner is the only thing standing between the house and afternoons that average 86°F. That is not a couple of hot weeks. It is a full season of steady, daily work, and a unit that is undersized or on its way out will run long hours trying to keep up.
Mount Washington also sees its share of hail and wind, with damaging wind events far more common here than hail over the past ten years. An outdoor condenser sits outside through all of it, so the install has to account for a unit that will take some weather. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 14.3 SEER2, so whatever goes in will start from that baseline.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 10 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 Bullitt 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's Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction issues that license after testing the contractor and keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to the job, so it does not expire once the installation is done and it covers work in homes across the state, not just Bullitt County.
For this job, that license is what stands behind the person working on your air conditioner. In most cities and counties here, the installation also needs a permit from the local building office, and an inspector checks the work once it is finished. That inspection is separate from the state license. It is the local check that the unit was installed correctly.
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 place is insulated. There's no shortcut number based on home size alone. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, which looks at your house room by room rather than guessing off a chart. Going too big is as much a problem as too small, since an oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, leaving the house feeling clammy.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases both the outdoor unit and the indoor coil get replaced together. The two are matched to work at a specific capacity and efficiency, and pairing a new outdoor unit with an old coil usually means you lose the efficiency gain you're paying for, sometimes voiding the warranty too. If your indoor coil and ductwork are recent and in good shape, a contractor can look at the specifics and tell you whether they'll work with a new outdoor unit. Since new units sold today have to meet 14.3 SEER2, matching parts correctly is what makes that rating mean anything in your house.
- Do HVAC contractors in Mount Washington need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Kentucky requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued by the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. For an air conditioner installation, you'll also need a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is finished. Asking to see the license number before work starts is a fair question to ask any contractor.