Colorado HVAC Pros
Aerial view of a gray outdoor air conditioning condenser unit mounted on a concrete pad next to a house with vinyl siding.

AC Installation in Lakewood, CO

A new air conditioner in Lakewood will run from July through July every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Jefferson 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 central air conditioning condenser unit on a concrete pad next to a house with vinyl siding.

One month of real heat, but the storms are the bigger test

Lakewood only asks a new air conditioner to work hard for about a month, with summer afternoons averaging 80°F. That is not much run time compared to other places, but it means the unit sitting outside your house spends most of the year exposed to weather instead of cooling.

And that weather has teeth. Jefferson County saw 152 hail events and 114 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.75 inches recorded. A condenser coil that takes a hit from hail or gets bent up in high wind will struggle to cool even on a mild day. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 13.4 SEER2.

1 months
July through July, your air conditioner is on duty
80°F
the average summer afternoon it cools against
152 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 cutaway illustration of a house showing attic ductwork, an indoor air handler, refrigerant lines running outside, and an outdoor condenser unit on a pad.
Your air conditioner works hardest from July through July.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

An overhead view of a residential air conditioning condenser unit mounted 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$80 a year
  • A new unit at the federal minimum, 13.4 SEER2$90 a year

Estimates for a typical Jefferson 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 ceiling height, how much shade your house gets, and how well it holds cooled air. A unit that is too big cools the house fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out of the air, so the house feels damp. One that is too small runs constantly and still cannot keep up on the hottest afternoons. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not just a square footage chart, since two houses the same size can need different tonnage.
Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
If your indoor coil and outdoor unit are not matched, replacing just the outdoor unit can hurt efficiency and shorten the life of both. Manufacturers pair coils and condensers to work at specific pressures, and mixing an old coil with a new condenser often means the system never runs the way it is rated to. Age matters too. If the indoor coil is old enough that the outdoor unit will likely need pairing again in a few years, replacing both now can make more sense. A contractor can look at what you have and tell you whether the coil is still a good match.
Do HVAC contractors in Lakewood need a state license to work on my home?
Yes. Anyone installing or servicing central air conditioning in your home needs a state HVAC license. Ask to see the license number before work starts, and check that it is active if you want to confirm it yourself. A licensed contractor also carries insurance that covers your home if something goes wrong during the job.
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