AC Installation in San Bernardino, CA
A new air conditioner in San Bernardino will run from May through October every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers San Bernardino County will get in touch.
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Six months of San Bernardino heat is hard on a new system
Summer afternoons here average 99°F, and a new air conditioner runs from May through October to keep up. That is six months of steady work each year, most of it against triple-digit heat.
Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2. That is the baseline. Getting the size and installation right is what lets it hold up through a summer this long and this hot.
- 6 months
- May through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 99°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 13 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
A higher-efficiency unit would save about $60 a year to run in San Bernardino County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical San Bernardino 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 is issued to the contractor by the Contractors State License Board, and it stays with them from job to job. It's not something pulled for this one installation. It means the state has tested this contractor and keeps a record of who they are, and that record follows the business, not the address or the equipment going in.
For an air conditioner install, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. Most cities and counties also require a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the job is done. The license tells you the contractor was tested by the state. The permit and inspection tell you this specific installation was checked when it was finished.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not a chart based on square footage. A contractor measures your windows, insulation, ceiling height, and how much shade your house gets, then runs the numbers to find the tonnage your house actually needs. With summer afternoons here reaching 99°F, an undersized unit will run constantly and still struggle to keep up. An oversized one cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity out, so the house feels clammy. Either way you end up with a system fighting your house instead of matching it.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases replacing just the outdoor unit is not a good idea. The outdoor condenser and the indoor coil are matched to work together, and pairing a new condenser with an old coil often means the system never reaches its rated efficiency. If your indoor coil is old enough that the outdoor unit needs replacing, it's usually close to the end of its own life anyway. A contractor can look at the age and condition of both and tell you whether the coil is worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in San Bernardino 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. Before any work starts, ask for the license number and check it against the CSLB's records. This matters for installation work especially, since a licensed contractor is accountable for sizing the system correctly and meeting the current federal efficiency minimum of 14.3 SEER2 on new equipment.