AC Installation in Somerset, KY
A new air conditioner in Somerset will run from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Pulaski County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of real heat in Somerset
Summer afternoons here average 84°F, and a new air conditioner has to hold a house steady against that from June through September. That is the stretch when it runs longest and works hardest.
Pulaski County also sees its share of hail and wind, 26 hail events and 167 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.5 inches recorded. An outdoor unit sits exposed to that weather, so how it's installed and protected matters. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 14.3 SEER2.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°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 Pulaski 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 tested this contractor before handing out the license, and the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction keeps that record. The license belongs to the contractor's business, not to your particular job, so it tells you the company met the state's bar to operate, not that this installation was checked on its own.
That check comes from the local building office instead. Pulaski County will most likely require a permit for a new air conditioner, and an inspector looks at the finished work before it is signed off. The license tells you who is allowed to do the work. The permit and inspection tell you this installation was done right.
Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not the square footage of your house alone. A contractor looks at your insulation, your windows, your ductwork, and how much shade your house gets before landing on a number. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity out, so the house feels clammy even at the right temperature. Undersized, and it runs nonstop on the hottest afternoons and still can't keep up. With summer highs here averaging 84°F, getting this number right matters more than it would somewhere cooler.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases, replace both the outdoor unit and the indoor coil together. The two are matched to work at a specific efficiency and capacity, and pairing a new outdoor unit with an old coil usually means you lose the efficiency gain you paid for. It can also void the manufacturer's warranty on the new equipment. A contractor can look at the age and condition of your coil and tell you whether it's worth keeping, but replacing both at once is the straightforward path for an older system.
- Do HVAC contractors in Somerset 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. Installing a central air conditioner also typically needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done. Ask to see the license number before work starts, and confirm the contractor is pulling the permit rather than skipping it.