Colorado HVAC Pros
Overhead view of an outdoor AC condenser unit on a concrete pad next to a house with a dark shingle roof.

AC Installation in Boulder, CO

Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Boulder County will get in touch.

Tell us about the job

It takes about a minute.

Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Aerial view of a gray outdoor air conditioning condenser unit mounted on a concrete pad next to a house with vinyl siding.

Boulder County doesn't ask much of an air conditioner

Summer afternoons here average 78°F. That's mild, and it means a new air conditioner in Boulder County isn't fighting the kind of heat that pushes a system hard every day.

What you can count on is the storm record. The last ten years brought 125 hail events and 120 damaging wind events to the area, with hail up to 3 inches recorded. An outdoor condenser sits outside through all of that, so the coil fins and cabinet take the brunt of it. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so that's the baseline efficiency you're starting from no matter who installs it.

78°F
the average summer afternoon it cools against
125 hail events
in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
13.4 SEER2
the federal minimum any new unit must meet
Isometric line illustration of a cutaway house showing interior rooms, ceiling ductwork connected to an indoor air handler, and an outdoor condenser unit linked by refrigerant lines.
Your air conditioner works hardest from July through August.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

Aerial view of a gray central air conditioning condenser unit on a concrete pad next to a house with vinyl siding.

Going above the federal minimum saves little here, about $10 a year.

  • A higher-efficiency unit$60 a year
  • A new unit at the federal minimum, 13.4 SEER2$70 a year

Estimates for a typical Boulder 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 they face, and how many people live in the house. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on home size alone. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels damp. An undersized one runs constantly and still can't keep up on the hottest afternoons. Getting this calculation right is what determines whether the system runs in long, steady stretches or keeps starting and stopping.
Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
If your indoor coil and outdoor unit were matched when installed, replacing just the outdoor unit can leave you with a mismatched system that won't perform the way either part was designed to. Refrigerant type is another issue. Older systems use refrigerants that are being phased out, and a new outdoor unit may not run on what your old indoor coil was built for. A contractor can check the age and condition of both parts and tell you whether a partial swap will actually work for your system or whether it needs to be done as a pair.
Do HVAC contractors in Boulder need a state license to work on my home?
Ask to see a contractor's license before any work starts, along with proof of insurance. A licensed, insured contractor is who you want handling anything tied to your home's electrical circuit or refrigerant lines, since both require specific training to do safely. If a contractor won't show you this before you sign anything, that's reason enough to look elsewhere.
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