AC Installation in Preston, ID
A new air conditioner in Preston will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Franklin County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Preston only needs two months of cooling, but it still has to work
Summer afternoons here average 80°F, and homes only need the air conditioner running in July and August. That is a short season, but a new system still has to handle full sun on a hot afternoon without struggling.
Hail and wind show up in Franklin County too. Ten years of storm records show 8 hail events and 10 damaging wind events, with hailstones up to 1.5 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of that, so it needs to be installed to hold up. Any new central air conditioner also has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 8 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 Franklin 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 any single job, so the person who worked on someone else's system last month is the same one who would show up for yours.
The license is what backs the contractor here. Most cities and counties also require a permit before an air conditioner goes in, along with an inspection once the installation is done.
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 insulation, how many windows you have, and which way your house faces, not just a rule of thumb. A unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity out, so the house feels clammy. A unit that's too small runs constantly all summer and still can't keep up on the hottest afternoons. A contractor will measure your home and run a load calculation to land on the right tonnage before quoting the job.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit were installed together and are close in age, replacing just the outdoor unit usually isn't the better move. The coil and the compressor are matched to work at a certain capacity and refrigerant charge, and pairing a new outdoor unit with an old coil can mean the system never runs at the efficiency it's rated for. It can also void the manufacturer's warranty on the new equipment. A contractor can look at the age and condition of both pieces and tell you whether a matched replacement makes sense for your setup.
- Do HVAC contractors in Preston need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Idaho requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued by the state's HVAC Board, and that covers installing an air conditioner in your home. You'll also want to check with your local building office, since most cities and counties require a permit for this kind of installation along with an inspection once the work is finished.