HVAC Installation in Atlanta, GA
A new system here will heat from November through April and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Fulton County will get in touch.
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Fulton County asks for both heat and cooling, most of the year
A Fulton County home needs heat from November through April and cooling from May through September. That is 11 months of the year one system or the other is running. Winter nights average 35°F from December through February. Summer afternoons average 88°F. A new system has to handle both ends of that, not just the one you're replacing it for.
The power does not always stay on to run it. In Georgia, 31% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024, and the last ten years brought 162 damaging wind events and 10 winter storms to the area. A furnace or heat pump that comes back on by itself once power returns matters here.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 35°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Georgia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state board tests contractors before they get that license and keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it is not reissued or checked off each time someone installs a system. It tells you the person doing your work met the state's standard to be doing this trade at all.
For an installation, that license is what stands behind the work itself, but it is not the only check on this job. In most cities and counties, replacing a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection when the work is done. That inspection is separate from the state license. It is the local building office looking at the new system, not the state looking at the contractor.
Source: Georgia Secretary of State
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs get frequent, the unit is old, or it can no longer keep up on the coldest nights or hottest afternoons. Homes here run the heat or the air for 11 months out of the year, so a struggling system has almost no season to rest and recover. If a contractor is quoting a major repair on an older unit, ask what a new system would run instead of patching the old one again.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If they're close in age, yes, that's usually the better time to do it. A furnace and air conditioner installed together are matched to work as one system, and replacing only one can leave it running against a mismatched partner. It also means one visit, one permit, and one inspection instead of two. If one unit still has years of life left in it, a contractor can tell you whether it makes sense to wait or move now.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old furnace and air conditioner, sets the new equipment, and connects it to your existing ducts, gas line or electrical circuit, and thermostat. They'll check the ductwork for leaks or damage while it's open, since that affects how well the new system performs. In most cities and counties around Atlanta, this work needs a permit from the local building office and an inspection once it's done. That inspection confirms the work was done to code, so don't skip it even if the contractor doesn't bring it up.