AC Installation in Blackfoot, ID
A new air conditioner in Blackfoot will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Bingham County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of heat, and hail to plan around
Blackfoot only asks for cooling in July and August. Summer afternoons average 81°F, so a new air conditioner here sits idle most of the year and then has to work when those two months arrive.
Bingham County has also logged 109 damaging wind events and 10 hail events over the past ten years, with hailstones up to 1.5 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of that, so where it goes and what protects it matters. Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 81°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 $10 a year.
Estimates for a typical Bingham County home, from EIA household energy data, Idaho fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Idaho requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued by the state's HVAC Board and it belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. That means the state tested this contractor before letting them work, and there's a record of who they are if something goes wrong. It doesn't mean each installation gets its own state review.
For an air conditioner install in Bingham County, the check on the actual work comes from the local building office. Most cities and counties here require a permit for this job and an inspection once it's done, and that's what confirms the refrigerant lines, wiring and mounting were done right. The license tells you the contractor is qualified. The permit and inspection are what tells you this particular job was checked.
Sources: Idaho Legislature · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not a rule of thumb based on square footage. A contractor looks at your insulation, your windows, your ceiling height, and how much shade your house gets before sizing the unit. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity out, so the house feels clammy. An undersized one runs constantly and still can't keep up on the hottest afternoons. With summer highs here averaging 81°F, most homes don't need an oversized system to stay comfortable, but the only way to know your number is to have someone measure your house.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases both the outdoor unit and the indoor coil need to be 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 the system never reaches the efficiency it was built for. It can also void the manufacturer's warranty on the new equipment. A contractor can look at the age and condition of your indoor coil and tell you whether it's worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in Blackfoot need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Idaho requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued by the state's Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Board, and that covers installing an air conditioner. You'll also likely need a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done. Ask to see the license before work starts, and confirm the permit gets pulled.