AC Installation in Idaho Falls, ID
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Idaho Falls doesn't ask much of an air conditioner
Summer afternoons here average 77°F. That's mild, and it means a new air conditioner in Bonneville County isn't fighting the kind of heat that pushes a system hard day after day.
What it does have to stand up to is weather. The last ten years brought 20 hail events and 118 damaging wind events to the area, so the outdoor unit needs to be able to take a hit and keep running. Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet 13.4 SEER2, the federal efficiency minimum, so that part is decided before you even start picking a system.
- 77°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 20 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 $0 a year.
Estimates for a typical Bonneville 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.
Idaho licenses HVAC contractors through the state's HVAC Board. That license belongs to the contractor, not to this particular job, so it covers the person or company doing the work rather than getting issued fresh for each installation.
For your air conditioner installation, that license is what stands behind the work. In most cities and counties in Idaho, the job also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the installation is done. That permit and inspection are a separate, local check on the work, apart from the state license the contractor holds.
Sources: Idaho Legislature · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, your ceiling height, how much shade your windows get, and how well your attic and walls hold heat. A contractor works this out with a load calculation rather than a rule of thumb based on square footage alone. Going bigger than your house needs isn't a safety net either. An oversized unit cools the air fast, shuts off before it pulls the humidity down, and cycles on and off more than it should.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit were installed together and matched to each other, replacing just the outdoor unit can throw that match off and hurt efficiency. It also depends on the age and condition of what's still working. A contractor can look at both halves of your system and tell you whether the indoor coil is worth keeping or whether it's near the end of its life anyway.
- Do HVAC contractors in Idaho Falls need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Idaho requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued by the Idaho HVAC Board. For an AC installation, you'll also need a permit from your local building office, and the work gets inspected once it's done. Ask to see the license before work starts, and confirm the permit gets pulled.