AC Installation in Cortez, CO
A new air conditioner in Cortez will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Montezuma County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Cortez only needs two months of cooling, but it needs to work
Summers here run July through August, with afternoons averaging 84°F. That is a short season, but a new system still has to keep up on the hottest days in it, and it has to start reliably after sitting idle the other ten months of the year.
Montezuma County has seen 22 damaging wind events and a few hail storms over the past ten years, so whatever unit goes in should be able to take some weather. Any new central air conditioner installed now has to meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, and that number is worth checking on whatever system you're quoted.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 3 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 $20 a year.
Estimates for a typical Montezuma 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?
- It depends on your square footage, your ceiling height, how much shade your house gets, and how well it's insulated, so there's no single number that works for every home. A contractor will run a load calculation, usually called a Manual J, to size it correctly. Going too big is just as bad as too small. An oversized unit cools the air fast then 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?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit are more than a few years apart in age, replacing just the outdoor unit usually isn't a good idea. The coil and the compressor are matched to work together, and pairing an old coil with a new compressor can hurt efficiency and shorten its life. A contractor will check the age and condition of both before recommending one over the other. New central air conditioners now have to meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so an older coil paired with a new unit may not let the system reach the efficiency it's rated for.
- Do HVAC contractors in Cortez need a state license to work on my home?
- A contractor working on your home should be able to show you a license before any work starts. Ask for the license number up front and confirm it covers the work being done. A licensed contractor will also know the current federal efficiency rules, like the 13.4 SEER2 minimum for new central air conditioners, and size and install the system to meet them.