HVAC Installation in Fresno, CA
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Fresno County will get in touch.
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A system that works every month of the year
Fresno County asks for heat from October through May and cooling from June through September. That is 12 months of the year with the system running one way or the other, so both sides of a new system matter, not just the one you notice first.
Winter nights average 32°F from December through February, right at the edge of freezing. Summer afternoons average 86°F. A new furnace or heat pump has to hold a house warm on those cold nights for eight months straight, then the air conditioner takes over for the four months after that. Over half the homes here heat with gas, so a gas furnace paired with the right size air conditioner is a common setup, but a heat pump has to cover the same range of temperatures on its own.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 32°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
California licenses HVAC contractors through the Contractors State License Board. The license is issued to the contractor, not to any single job, so it covers the person or company doing the work rather than this particular installation.
For a heating and cooling system installation, that license is what stands behind the contractor's work. Beyond the license, most cities and counties require a permit from the local building office for this kind of job, with an inspection once the work is done.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs start happening every year or the unit is old enough that a breakdown could leave you without heat or air for days. Around here, that matters because you need heat from October through May and cooling from June through September, so there is almost no season where a dead system is a minor problem. If your furnace or air conditioner is old and struggling, waiting for it to fail completely usually costs you more than replacing it on your own schedule. A contractor can look at the age and condition of what you have and tell you whether repair still makes sense.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If they are close in age, yes, and here is why. A furnace and air conditioner installed together are matched to work as one system, and pairing a new unit with an old one can mean the old half fails not long after anyway, forcing you through the whole process again. Since homes here run one or the other eight and four months out of the year with no real break between, having both sides fail in different years means more disruption overall. A contractor can check whether your two units are actually matched and worth replacing together.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor first removes the old furnace, air conditioner, or both, along with any parts of the ductwork or venting that need to change. Then the new equipment goes in, gets connected to your ducts, refrigerant lines, gas line or electrical circuit as needed, and is set up to communicate with the thermostat. Once everything is connected, the contractor tests the system, checks refrigerant charge and airflow, and confirms it is heating or cooling correctly before calling the job done. In California, whoever does this work has to hold a license through the Contractors State License Board, so it is worth confirming that before the job starts.