AC Installation in Richmond, VA
A new air conditioner in Richmond will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Richmond will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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Five months of real heat, every year
Richmond asks a new air conditioner to work from May through September. That's five months a year, with summer afternoons averaging 87°F. A system sized and installed right needs to hold that line day after day, not just on the mild ones.
If you're installing new, federal rules now set the floor at 14.3 SEER2. That's the minimum efficiency for any new central air conditioner, so whatever goes in should meet it or beat it.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 2 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 Richmond 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 license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job. It covers the company doing your installation the same way it covers every other job they take on. Virginia's Board for Contractors tests and records the people it licenses. There is an exception for small work. Anything under $1,000 doesn't need a licensed contractor at all, though a new air conditioner runs well past that.
An installation like this also goes through your local building office, which is separate from the state license. Most cities and counties require a permit for the work and an inspection once it's done. That inspection is what catches a bad connection or a system that wasn't put in right. Between the two, the state has tested who is doing the work and the local inspector checks the work itself.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- There's no single number that fits every house. The right size comes from a load calculation that looks at your square footage, insulation, window placement, and how much shade your house gets, since a unit that's too big or too small will run poorly either way. A contractor will do this calculation for your specific house rather than guess from square footage alone.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases the outdoor unit and indoor coil need to be matched, so replacing only the outdoor unit can leave you with a mismatched system that doesn't run efficiently. If your indoor coil is old or was sized for a different outdoor unit, keeping it while the rest of the system changes can cause problems down the road. A contractor can look at both parts of your system and tell you whether the coil is still good enough to keep.
- Do HVAC contractors in Richmond need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the Board for Contractors. Installing an air conditioner falls well outside the small jobs that don't require one, so this work needs a licensed contractor. You'll also need a permit from the local building office and an inspection once the work is done.