AC Installation in Aurora, CO
A new air conditioner in Aurora will run from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Arapahoe County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of heat, and hail that finds the outdoor unit
Aurora only asks for cooling from June through August, but those afternoons average 86°F, and a new system has to handle that heat every time it runs. A short season doesn't mean light duty. The unit sits idle most of the year, then has to start up strong and keep working through the summer.
That outdoor unit sits outside through Arapahoe County storms too. The area has logged 175 hail events and 97 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 3 inches across. The coil and fan take that weather directly. Any new air conditioner installed here has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, but the rating on the label doesn't say anything about how well the unit is placed and guarded against what comes through in a storm.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 175 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
A higher-efficiency unit would save about $30 a year to run in Arapahoe County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Arapahoe County home, from EIA household energy data, Colorado fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
- 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 your house faces, not just one rule of thumb. A contractor works this out with a load calculation rather than a guess based on your old unit's size. Putting in a unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity down, and one that's too small runs constantly on your 86°F afternoons and still falls behind. That calculation is worth having done for your actual house.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit are different ages or different efficiency levels, replacing just the outdoor unit can cause a mismatch that hurts cooling and shortens the life of both pieces. Manufacturers rate coil and condenser together, and mixing an old coil with a new condenser often means the system never runs at the efficiency either one is rated for. A contractor can check whether your coil is still compatible with a new outdoor unit before you decide. If the coil is old or already worn, replacing both at once is usually the sounder path.
- Do HVAC contractors in Aurora need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Anyone installing or repairing central air conditioning in your home should hold a valid contractor's license for the work they're doing. Ask to see the license number before work starts, and check that it's current rather than taking it on trust. A licensed contractor also carries the insurance that protects you if something goes wrong during the install.