AC Installation in Owensboro, KY
A new air conditioner in Owensboro will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Daviess County will get in touch.
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Five months of Owensboro heat, every year
From May through September your air conditioner is the thing standing between you and an 87°F afternoon. That is five months of steady run time, not just a few hot weeks, so the unit you install needs to hold up to a full season of work.
Daviess County also sees its share of hail and wind, 27 hail events and 95 damaging wind events over the last ten years. An outdoor condenser sits exposed to that, so where it goes and how it is protected matters as much as the equipment itself. 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
- 27 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 Daviess 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 state license comes from the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, and it belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. That means the same license has to be in place whether the work is a repair call or a full installation, and the state's record of that contractor carries over from one job to the next.
For an air conditioner installation in Daviess County, most cities and counties also require a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is finished. That inspection is what checks the installed unit itself, separate from the state license that qualifies the contractor doing the work.
Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- It depends on your square footage, your insulation, how many windows you have and which way they face, and your ceiling height. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on home size alone. Two houses the same size can need different tonnage if one has more shade or better insulation. An oversized unit cools fast but cycles too often to pull moisture out of the air, and an undersized one runs constantly and still can't keep up on a 87°F afternoon. Get the load calculation done rather than guessing from square footage.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases, replace both together. The outdoor unit and the indoor coil are matched to work at a specific efficiency and capacity, and pairing a new condenser with an old coil usually means you lose the efficiency gain you're paying for. It can also void the manufacturer's warranty. If your coil and ductwork are in good shape and only a few years old, a contractor may be able to confirm a match. Have a contractor inspect the whole system before you decide, since the right answer depends on the age and condition of what's already there.
- Do HVAC contractors in Owensboro 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. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it covers the company doing your air conditioner installation. You'll also need a permit from the local building office for the install, with an inspection once the work is finished.