AC Installation in Augusta, GA
A new air conditioner in Augusta will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Richmond County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of heat, every year
Augusta asks for cooling from May through September, with summer afternoons averaging 91°F. That is five months a year your air conditioner has to keep up, not just a few weeks of hot spells.
A new central air conditioner installed here has to meet a federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2. Past that, it also has to hold up under what comes with the season. Richmond County has seen 87 damaging wind events and 26 hail events over the last ten years, so where the unit sits and how it is installed matter as much as the equipment itself.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 26 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 Richmond County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Richmond County home, from EIA household energy data, Georgia fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Georgia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to this particular job. It means the state tested this contractor and keeps a record of them, and that record follows the business, not the address in Richmond County or any single installation.
For an air conditioner installation, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. Beyond that, most cities and counties also require a permit from the local building office before the installation starts, along with an inspection once it's done, which checks that the work itself was done right, separate from who holds the license to do it.
Source: Georgia Secretary of State
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- There is no single number that fits every house. Sizing depends on the square footage, how much insulation is in the walls and attic, how many windows face the sun, and the layout of the ductwork. A unit that is too big will cool the air fast but shut off before it pulls the humidity down, and one that is too small will run constantly during the hottest afternoons and still not keep up. A contractor works this out with a load calculation on your actual house, not a chart based on square footage alone.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If the indoor coil and outdoor unit are more than a few years apart in age, replacing just the outdoor unit usually causes problems. The two are matched at the factory to work at a certain refrigerant charge and airflow, and pairing an old coil with a new condenser can mean lost efficiency or a system that trips on protection controls. Matching the age also matters because an old coil can fail soon after, forcing the same job again. A contractor can check the coil's condition and tell you whether it can pair with new outdoor equipment.
- Do HVAC contractors in Augusta need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Georgia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued by the State Construction Industry Licensing Board. Ask to see the license number before work starts, or check it against the board's records.