AC Installation in Bedford, VA
A new air conditioner in Bedford will run from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Bedford County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Four months of real work, and weather the rest of the year
Summers in Bedford County run June through September, with afternoons averaging 85°F. That is the stretch a new air conditioner has to handle, cycling on through the warm part of most days for four months straight.
The rest of the year, the unit sits outside through whatever the weather brings. This area has logged 131 damaging wind events and 38 hail events over the past ten years, with hail as large as 2.75 inches. Outdoor units take that weather directly, and installation should account for it. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 14.3 SEER2.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 38 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 $10 a year.
Estimates for a typical Bedford County home, from EIA household energy data, Virginia fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Board for Contractors licenses the company, not the person on your roof or the job itself. The license is tied to the business, and Virginia only asks for it once the work crosses $1,000, which an air conditioner installation does.
So for this job, the license is what stands behind the company doing the work. Most cities and counties also require a permit for an air conditioner installation and an inspection once it's done, which means someone outside the contractor looks at the finished work before it's signed off.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- There is no single answer without looking at your house. A contractor works it out with a load calculation, weighing your square footage, your insulation, how many windows you have and which way they face, and your ceiling height. A unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels damp. Too small, and it runs nonstop on the hot afternoons and still can't keep up. Summer highs here average 85°F, so getting the size right matters more than picking a number off a chart.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases it makes sense to replace the outdoor unit and the indoor coil together. The two are matched to run at a specific efficiency and capacity, and pairing a new outdoor unit with an old coil can keep the system from reaching the SEER2 rating it's built for. A contractor can check the age and condition of your indoor coil and tell you whether it's worth keeping. If the outdoor unit is old enough to need replacing, the coil is usually close behind it.
- Do HVAC contractors in Bedford need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the Board for Contractors, and installing an air conditioner falls under that requirement. The license covers the contractor rather than the individual job. You'll also want a permit from the local building office, since most cities and counties require one for a new air conditioner along with an inspection once the work is finished.