AC Installation in Concord, CA
A new air conditioner in Concord will run from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Contra Costa County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of real heat to plan for
Concord summers push into the mid-80s on an average afternoon, June through September. That is the stretch your air conditioner needs to hold up, cycling on through the warmest part of the day for four months straight.
A new central air conditioner installed here has to meet a federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2, so whatever goes in will be built to handle that stretch efficiently. Wind shows up in the storm record more than hail does, so the outdoor unit should sit secure and clear once it is in place.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 12 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 Contra Costa County home, from EIA household energy data, California fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license comes from the Contractors State License Board, and it belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. The board tests contractors before they're licensed and keeps a record of who holds one, so the license is tied to the person or company, not reissued for each install they do.
For an air conditioner install, that license is what stands behind the work, but the county still has a role. In most cities and counties here, putting in a new air conditioner needs a permit from the local building office, and the work gets inspected once it's done. That inspection is separate from the license. It's the building department checking the install itself, not the state checking the contractor.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your home's square footage, ceiling height, insulation, window area, and how much shade it gets, not just a rule of thumb. A contractor will do a load calculation, room by room, to find the number for your house. Going bigger than that number is not better. An oversized unit cools the air fast then shuts off before it pulls the humidity out, so rooms feel damp and the compressor cycles on and off more than it should.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit were installed together, replacing just the outdoor unit usually is not a good option. Manufacturers match coils and condensers for a reason, and pairing an old coil with a new condenser can mean poor performance and a shorter life on the new part. There is also a mismatch problem with refrigerant and coil design between old and new equipment. A contractor can check the age and condition of your indoor coil and tell you whether it makes sense to replace it too.
- Do HVAC contractors in Concord need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued by the Contractors State License Board. Ask to see the license number before work starts, and you can look it up with the board to confirm it is active.