HVAC Installation in Phoenix, AZ
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from April through October every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Maricopa County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
A system that works almost every month of the year
Phoenix asks for cooling from April through October, seven months of afternoons near 103°F. Winter is short here, November through March, and nights average 41°F. That leaves almost no month where the system sits idle, so the equipment you install has to hold up under long, hard summers and still handle the occasional cold night without strain.
Most homes here heat with electricity, and a new system has to meet the federal efficiency minimum for this region. Summer heat is the bigger test. Wind and storms are part of the picture too. The last ten years brought 718 damaging wind events, and 7% of Arizona households lost power for at least a day in 2024, so a system that starts up reliably after an outage matters as much as one that runs well in the heat.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 41°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 103°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Arizona requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Registrar of Contractors tests and licenses the contractor, not the job itself. So the license on file tells you the person or company has met the state's requirements, but it does not follow them out to your house for this particular installation.
That's where the permit comes in. In most cities and counties, putting in a new furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit from the local building office, and the finished work gets inspected before it's signed off. The license tells you who is allowed to do the job. The permit and inspection tell you this installation was actually checked.
Sources: Arizona State Legislature · Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs start happening every year, when the unit is old and worn, or when it can't keep the house comfortable on a 103°F afternoon. An AC that's struggling in summer here isn't a minor issue, since cooling runs seven months of the year in Phoenix. If a contractor keeps finding new problems each visit, that's a sign the system is wearing out faster than it can be patched.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If they're close in age, yes, it usually makes sense to replace both together. A furnace and air conditioner installed at the same time are matched to work with each other, and pairing an old furnace with a new AC, or the other way around, can leave one part of the system working harder than it should. A contractor can look at the age and condition of both and tell you whether replacing just one is enough or whether it's time to do both.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old furnace and air conditioner, then sets the new equipment in place and connects it to the existing ductwork, refrigerant lines, gas line and electrical circuit. Once everything is connected, they test the system, check the refrigerant charge, and confirm it's heating and cooling the way it should before they leave. Because Arizona requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the Registrar of Contractors, ask to see that license before work starts.