AC Installation in Kingwood, WV
A new air conditioner in Kingwood will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Preston County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Kingwood only needs cooling two months a year
Summer afternoons here average 79°F, and homes only need the air conditioner running from July through August. That is a short season, but Preston County storms are hard on outdoor units. The area has logged 108 damaging wind events and 29 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.5 inches. A new system needs to hold up to that, sitting outside through summer storms whether it runs often or not.
Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet 13.4 SEER2, the federal efficiency minimum. With a cooling season this short, the unit you choose still needs to be sized and installed right to handle those July and August afternoons.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 29 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 Preston County home, from EIA household energy data, West Virginia fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
West Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor's business, not issued job by job, so it is the company's record that carries weight, not a certificate for this particular installation.
For an air conditioner install, that state license is what stands behind the work, but most cities and counties in West Virginia also require a permit from the local building office and an inspection once the job is done, which checks that the installation was done correctly.
Source: West Virginia Legislature
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, your insulation, how many windows you have and which way they face, and how many people live there. A unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels clammy. A unit that's too small runs constantly and never quite catches up on a hot afternoon. A contractor works this out with a load calculation on your actual house, not a rule of thumb based on square feet alone.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor and outdoor units are original to each other, replacing just the outdoor unit usually isn't a good idea. The two are matched to work together, and pairing an old indoor coil with a new outdoor unit can hurt efficiency and shorten the life of the new equipment. It also may not meet the manufacturer's requirements for a warranty. A contractor can look at the age and condition of both pieces and tell you whether the indoor coil is worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in Kingwood need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. West Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued through the Commissioner of Labor. The license belongs to the contractor, not to the individual job, so it covers the company doing your installation. You'll also likely need a permit from the local building office for an air conditioner installation, along with an inspection once the work is finished.