AC Installation in Conway, NH
A new air conditioner in Conway will run from July through July every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Carroll County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
One month of real heat, but the storms are the bigger test
Conway summers are mild. Afternoons average 77°F, and July is really the only month a new air conditioner has to work hard. That is not a lot to ask of a unit built to handle far more.
What's harder on the equipment here is what comes with the weather the rest of the year. Carroll County has logged 70 damaging wind events and 37 hail events over the past ten years, some hail up to 2 inches across. An outdoor unit sits outside through all of that, so how well it's installed and protected matters as much as the unit itself. Any new system installed now also has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
- 1 months
- July through July, your air conditioner is on duty
- 77°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 37 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 Carroll County home, from EIA household energy data, New Hampshire fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
New Hampshire has no state license for HVAC contractors.
That means there is no list anywhere of who is allowed to install an air conditioner in Carroll County, and no test anyone had to pass to do it. The state has not looked into who does this work or how well.
What protection exists here comes from the local building office instead. In most cities and counties, installing a new air conditioner needs a permit, and the work gets inspected once it is done. That inspection is what checks the job in Carroll County, not a license.
Source: New Hampshire General Court
- 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 they face, and your ceiling height. It is not something you can get from a chart or a rule of thumb per square foot. A contractor will do a load calculation on your actual house to find the number. Going bigger than what the load calculation says will not cool your house better. It will just cycle on and off more and leave the air feeling damp.
- 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, replace both at the same time. Matching an old coil to a new condenser can leave you with a system that never runs at the efficiency either piece was built for, and it can void the warranty on the new unit. If the coil was already replaced recently or your ductwork and airflow are in good shape, a contractor can tell you whether the outdoor unit alone will do the job. That decision needs someone to look at what you actually have.
- Do HVAC contractors in Conway need a state license to work on my home?
- No. New Hampshire has no state license or registration for HVAC contractors. That does not mean there is no oversight on your job. Installing a new air conditioner still needs a permit from the local building office in most places, and the work gets inspected once it is done. Ask any contractor you are considering how long they have been doing this work and for references, since the state is not doing that screening for you.