AC Installation in Keene, NH
A new air conditioner in Keene will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Cheshire County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat, then it's done
Keene doesn't ask much of an air conditioner. Summer afternoons average 78°F, and cooling season runs July through August, just two months a year. Whatever you install will spend most of the year idle.
That doesn't mean the outdoor unit gets an easy ride. Cheshire County has logged 43 hail events and 164 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hailstones up to 1.75 inches. A new central air conditioner sits outside through all of that, season after season. Any unit installed new has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so efficiency isn't something to weigh, it's already built in.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 43 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 Cheshire 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.
New Hampshire keeps no state list of HVAC contractors and does not test them. There is no license and no registration behind the name on the truck, so any record of who did the work and whether they knew the trade has to come from somewhere other than the state.
In Cheshire County, the check that exists is local. Installing an air conditioner in most cities and towns here needs a permit from the local building office, and an inspection once the work is done confirms it was installed to code.
Source: New Hampshire General Court
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, how much shade and sun your walls and windows get, your insulation, and the layout of your ductwork. It is not just about the size of the house. A unit that is too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels clammy instead of dry and comfortable. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on square feet alone.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit are different ages or different efficiency ratings, replacing just the outdoor unit often causes problems. The two are matched at the factory to work together, and pairing an old coil with a new condenser can mean poor cooling and added strain on the compressor. New central air conditioners have to meet a 13.4 SEER2 minimum now, so a new outdoor unit may not pair correctly with an older coil built to a lower standard anyway. A contractor can look at both pieces and tell you whether a match-up will work or whether the full system needs to come out.
- Do HVAC contractors in Keene need a state license to work on my home?
- No. New Hampshire has no state license or registration for HVAC contractors, so there is no state credential to check before hiring one. Most cities and counties still require a permit for installing a new air conditioner, along with an inspection once the work is finished. Ask whoever you hire whether they are pulling that permit, since it is the inspection that confirms the installation was done correctly.