AC Installation in Richmond, KY
A new air conditioner in Richmond will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Madison County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of real heat
Richmond runs its air conditioners May through September. That's five months a year with summer afternoons averaging 85°F, and the unit you install now has to carry all of them.
Madison County has also logged 87 damaging wind events and 17 hail events over the past ten years, one of them dropping a 2.75 inch hailstone. Whatever goes in outside has to hold up to that. Any new central air conditioner also has to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2, so that's the baseline you're installing to.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 17 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 Madison 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 Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction tests and licenses HVAC contractors across Kentucky, and the license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. That means the person doing this install had to prove they know the trade before the state let them work, and there's a record of that behind their name.
For an air conditioner installation, that license is what stands behind the work itself, but the job still needs a permit from the local building office in most cities and counties, along with an inspection once the unit is in. The inspection is what confirms the install was done right, separate from anything the license already covers.
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 your house gets, and how well it's insulated. A contractor will do a load calculation to figure this out rather than going by rule of thumb. Bigger isn't better here. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels damp even at the right temperature.
- 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 off that match and cost you efficiency, sometimes enough that the new unit won't perform the way it's rated to. Age matters too. If the indoor coil is old, it may not hold up well paired with new refrigerant or a new compressor. A contractor can look at both halves of your system and tell you whether they still work well together or whether it makes more sense to replace them as a pair.
- Do HVAC contractors in Richmond 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 issued per job. Installing an air conditioner also typically needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done.