Aerial view of a gray central air conditioning condenser unit on a concrete pad next to a house with vinyl siding.

AC Installation in Jasper, AL

A new air conditioner in Jasper will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Walker County will get in touch.

Tell us about the job

It takes about a minute.

Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Overhead view of an air conditioning condenser unit on a concrete pad next to a house with asphalt shingle roofing and vinyl siding.

Five months of 90 degree afternoons in Jasper

Your air conditioner works May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 90°F. That is five straight months of the compressor running most days, not just a few hot weeks.

Walker County has seen 65 damaging wind events and 31 hail events over the past ten years, some with hail up to 2.5 inches. The outdoor unit sits exposed to all of it, so the cabinet and coil need to hold up to more than heat. Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2, so what you put in will be sized to handle a long cooling season at that efficiency floor or better.

5 months
May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
90°F
the average summer afternoon it cools against
31 hail events
in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
13.4 SEER2
the federal minimum any new unit must meet
Isometric grey illustration of a cutaway single-story house showing interior rooms, ceiling ductwork connected to an indoor air handler, and an outdoor condenser unit linked by lines outside the wall.
Your air conditioner works hardest from June through September.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

Overhead view of a gray residential air conditioning condenser unit mounted on a concrete pad beside a house with asphalt shingle roofing.

Going above the federal minimum saves little here, about $20 a year.

  • A higher-efficiency unit$360 a year
  • A new unit at the federal minimum, 14.3 SEER2$380 a year

Estimates for a typical Walker 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 it licenses them, and it keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job, so it does not get renewed or reviewed each time a new system goes in.

In most cities and counties, a job like this also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the air conditioner is installed. That inspection is separate from the state license. It is what checks the actual work in your house, not just who is doing it.

Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors

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 duct layout, and how much shade your house gets before landing on a number. Jasper summers push into the 90s for five months of the year, so a unit that's undersized will run constantly and still struggle to keep up, while one that's oversized will cool the air fast but leave it damp. Have a contractor measure your house rather than guess from its size.
Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
If your indoor coil and outdoor unit were installed together and matched for each other, replacing only the outdoor unit usually causes problems. A newer condenser paired with an old coil often can't reach its rated efficiency, and the mismatch can shorten the life of the new equipment. New systems also have to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2, and an old coil wasn't built to work at that efficiency. A contractor can check whether your coil is compatible before you decide.
Do HVAC contractors in Jasper 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 confirm it with the board directly.