HVAC Installation in Keene, NH
A new system here will heat from September through May and cool from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Cheshire County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heat, two of cooling
Winter nights here average 15°F from December through February, and homes need heat from September through May. That is nine months of the year your furnace or heat pump is working, most of it against real cold, not just a chilly evening now and then. A system sized for this place has to handle those 15°F nights, not an average day.
Summer is short by comparison, just July and August, with afternoons averaging 78°F. But a new system still has to cool the house through those weeks, so it has to be built for both ends of the year, not just the nine cold months.
Power is part of the picture too. This area has seen 34 winter storms and 164 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 22% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. A furnace or heat pump does nothing for you when the power is out, and that is worth planning for alongside the install.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 15°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
New Hampshire has no state license for HVAC contractors.
New Hampshire has no state board for HVAC contractors and no registration filed with the state either. There is no license number to check and no state record of who did the work. In a state like this, what stands between a homeowner and a bad job is set at the local level, not the state level.
For an installation like this, that protection is the permit. In most cities and counties, putting in a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit from the local building office. The work gets inspected when it is done. That inspection is what checks the gas connections, the refrigerant lines and the wiring, not a license.
Source: New Hampshire General Court
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs start piling up or the system can't keep the house comfortable anymore, whichever comes first. A furnace or air conditioner much past 15 years is working harder than it should, and if you're calling for a repair every year or two, that cost adds up fast. Heat matters most here, since homes in Keene need it from September through May. If your furnace struggles on a night near 15 degrees, that's not a small problem to put off.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If they're close in age, yes, it usually makes sense to do both together. A furnace and air conditioner installed at the same time are matched to work with each other, and pairing an old unit with a new one can mean the new one never runs the way it's supposed to. Cooling season here is short, just July and August, so a mismatched system will show its problems mainly in winter, when comfort matters more. A contractor can look at both units and tell you whether replacing one alone makes sense for your house.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old furnace and air conditioner, sets the new equipment in place, and connects it to your ductwork, gas or electric line, and condensate drain. Once it's running, they test it, check refrigerant levels and airflow, and make sure the thermostat is talking to the system correctly. In most places, including here, this work needs a permit from the local building office and an inspection when it's finished, so that's part of the timeline too. Plenty of homes in Keene heat with fuel oil rather than gas, so a straightforward swap can look different depending on what fuel and setup your house already has. The contractor will walk you through what applies to yours.