AC Installation in Show Low, AZ
A new air conditioner in Show Low will run from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Navajo County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of real heat, and storms in between
Show Low only asks for cooling three months a year, June through August, with afternoons averaging 88°F. That is a short season, but it is a real one, and a new unit needs to be sized to handle those afternoons without running nonstop.
The bigger factor here might be what happens the rest of the year. Navajo County has logged 162 damaging wind events and 16 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.75 inches. An outdoor condenser sits outside through all of that, so the coil fins and the cabinet take the weather even when the system is not running. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 14.3 SEER2.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 16 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 Navajo County home, from EIA household energy data, Arizona fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Arizona requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Registrar of Contractors issues that license to the contractor, not to each job. So the license tells you the state has this contractor on record and standing behind the work in general, but it isn't checking this particular installation.
That checking happens at the local level. In most cities and counties here, putting in a new air conditioner needs a permit from the local building office, plus an inspection once the work is done. That inspection is what looks at the actual installation in your home, the refrigerant lines, the electrical connections, the way the unit is set on its pad, separate from whatever the state license already covers.
Sources: Arizona State Legislature · Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- It depends on your square footage, your ceiling height, how much shade your home gets, and how well it's insulated, so there's no single number that fits every house. A contractor will walk through your home and run a load calculation to size it correctly. Going bigger than what the calculation says isn't a safety margin, it's a problem. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity out, so the house feels clammy even at the right temperature.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases the outdoor unit and the indoor coil need to be matched, so replacing only one can mean the new unit never runs at its rated efficiency. If your indoor coil is old, swapping just the outdoor unit can also shorten the life of the new equipment. A contractor can look at the age and condition of both and tell you whether a matched pair makes sense for your situation. Summers here run about three months, June through August, with highs around 88°F, so whatever you install has real work to do the rest of the year sitting idle.
- Do HVAC contractors in Show Low need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Arizona requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued by the Registrar of Contractors. Ask to see the license number before work starts, and you can confirm it's active through the Registrar.