AC Installation in Virginia Beach, VA
A new air conditioner in Virginia Beach will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Virginia Beach will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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Five months of real heat, every year
Virginia Beach summers run May through September, with afternoons averaging 85°F. That is five straight months where your air conditioner has to work, not just kick on for a few hot days here and there.
The storms here matter too. The area has seen 72 damaging wind events and 9 hail events in the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. An outdoor condenser sits outside through all of that. Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2, so what goes in now runs more efficiently than what it replaces.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 9 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 Virginia Beach 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 is tied to the contractor, not to any single job, so it stays in place from one installation to the next. Virginia also draws a line at $1,000. Work below that does not need a licensed contractor. A full air conditioner installation runs well past that mark, so the contractor doing this job is expected to hold the state license.
Most cities and counties in Virginia also require a permit for an air conditioner installation, on top of that state license, with an inspection once the work is finished.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, how much insulation you have, 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 clammy. One that's too small runs constantly and still can't keep up on an 85 degree afternoon. A contractor works this out with a load calculation on your actual house, not a chart based on square footage alone.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil is old, replacing only the outdoor unit usually isn't a good option. The two are matched to work together, and pairing a new condenser with an old coil can mean the system never reaches the efficiency it's rated for, sometimes voiding the warranty on the new part entirely. Age matters too. Any central air conditioner installed new today has to meet 14.3 SEER2, so if your outdoor unit is old enough to need replacing, the indoor coil is probably the same age and close behind it. A contractor can look at both parts and tell you whether matching them makes sense for your system.
- Do HVAC contractors in Virginia Beach need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued through the Board for Contractors, and an air conditioner installation needs a licensed contractor. Most cities and counties also require a permit and an inspection when a central air conditioner is replaced, so ask whoever quotes the job whether that's included. A contractor will price the job once they've seen the house.