AC Installation in Huntsville, AL
A new air conditioner in Huntsville 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
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, five months of steady work. On the afternoons it's working hardest, it's pushing against an average high of 88°F.
Madison County has also seen 106 hail events and 431 damaging wind events over the past ten years, so the outdoor unit has to hold up outside as well as cool inside. Any new system installed today has to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2, but with a season this long, it's worth getting the size and setup right so the house stays comfortable through all five months.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 106 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 Madison County home, from EIA household energy data, Alabama fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Alabama requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors tests contractors before granting this license, and it keeps a record of who holds one. The license is tied to the contractor, not to the specific job, so the same license that covers a repair down the street covers the install going into your house.
For an air conditioner install in Madison County, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. In most cities and counties here, the job also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the unit is in. The permit and inspection are about the finished install meeting code. The license is about the contractor being tested and on record with the state.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your home's square footage, insulation, window area, and layout, not just a rule of thumb. A unit that's too big will cool the air fast but shut off before it pulls the humidity down, so the house feels damp. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, a room by room measurement of your home, rather than guessing from square footage alone.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor and outdoor units are original to each other, replace both. Manufacturers match the outdoor condenser to the indoor coil for a reason, and pairing an old coil with a new condenser can mean the system never runs at the efficiency either piece was built for. It can also affect the warranty on the new equipment. A contractor can look at the age and condition of both pieces and tell you whether the coil is worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in Huntsville need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Alabama requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued by the Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors. Ask to see the license number before work starts, and you can check it against the board's records.