HVAC Installation in Follansbee, WV
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Brooke County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Follansbee asks a lot of a new system
Winter nights here average 24°F from December through February, and heat runs from October through May, eight months of the year. Then summer takes over, three more months of June through August when afternoons average 82°F. Eleven months out of the year, a furnace or an air conditioner is working to keep the house comfortable.
A new system has to be sized for both ends of that. Most homes here heat with gas, so the furnace carries the load through a long, cold stretch, and it needs to be built for nights near 24°F, not just a mild day. The air conditioner has to hold up to afternoons averaging 82°F every summer without strain. West Virginia lost power to a third of its households for a day or more in 2024, and this area has logged winter storms and damaging wind over the past ten years, so a new system should be able to start back up on its own once the power comes back.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 24°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
West Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license belongs to the contractor's business, not to any single job. It means the state has tested and recorded that contractor before they ever walk into a home in Brooke County. It does not mean the state signs off on your particular installation.
That check comes from the local building office instead. In most cities and counties, installing a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit before the work starts and an inspection once it is done. In West Virginia, the license tells you who is allowed to do the job. The permit and inspection are what confirms this particular job was done right.
Source: West Virginia Legislature
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs start coming often, or when a breakdown feels like it is just a matter of time. There is no fixed age that means replace it, but a system that is old and keeps needing attention is telling you something. Homes here need heat from October through May, so a furnace that struggles or quits during that stretch is worth taking seriously rather than patching again. If a contractor tells you a repair costs close to what a new system would cost, that is usually the point to stop repairing and start planning the replacement.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are old, replacing them together is usually the better move. A furnace and air conditioner installed at different times often do not match well, and a mismatched pair can run less efficiently than equipment sized and installed together. It also means one install and one inspection instead of two separate jobs later. If one unit is much newer than the other, replacing just the older one is reasonable, and a contractor looking at both can tell you which case you are in.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old furnace and air conditioner, or heat pump, and sets the new equipment in place, then connects it to the ductwork, gas line or electrical circuit, and refrigerant lines as needed. Once everything is connected, the system gets tested and the airflow and refrigerant charge get checked against the manufacturer's specs. West Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license for this work, and in most cities and counties the job also needs a permit and an inspection once it is finished. That inspection is there to confirm the install was done correctly, which matters with winter nights here averaging 24°F and the furnace needing to hold up from October through May.