AC Installation in Salt Lake City, UT
A new air conditioner in Salt Lake City will run from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Salt Lake County will get in touch.
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What Salt Lake County summers ask of a new AC
Summer afternoons here average 83°F, and cooling season only runs June through August. Three months is not long, but a new system still has to keep up on the hottest afternoons of the year, every time it runs.
Salt Lake County has also logged 194 damaging wind events and 29 hail events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of it, so where it's placed and how it's protected matters. Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so efficiency is already built into what you're buying.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 83°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 29 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 Salt Lake County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Salt Lake County home, from EIA household energy data, Utah fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Utah requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Division of Professional Licensing issues the contractor's license, and it covers the contractor, not any one job. It stays with them across everything they do. Utah does carve out an exception for small jobs. Work under $7,000 does not need a licensed contractor. An air conditioner installation runs well past that line, so this job needs a licensed contractor.
The license is what stands behind the person doing the work. It is not the only check on this job. Most cities and counties in Utah also require a permit for an air conditioner installation, with an inspection once the work is done. That inspection is what catches problems in the actual installation at your house, the connections and the setup the license alone does not look at.
Sources: Utah State Legislature · Utah Department of Commerce
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- There is no single answer without looking at your house. Square footage matters, but so does how much sun your walls and windows take, how much insulation you have, and the shape of your ductwork. A unit that is too big will cool the air fast but shut off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels damp even at the right temperature. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on square feet alone.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your furnace or air handler is old, replacing only the outdoor unit usually causes problems. The indoor coil and the outdoor condenser are matched to work at a specific pressure and airflow, and pairing a new condenser with an old coil can mean it never reaches the efficiency it's rated for, or it can shorten its life. A contractor can tell you whether your existing indoor coil will work with a new outdoor unit, but if the coil is original to an older system, plan on replacing both.
- Do HVAC contractors in Salt Lake City need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes, for a job like an air conditioner installation. Utah requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the Division of Professional Licensing, and only small jobs are allowed to skip that requirement. An installation like this also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done. A contractor can tell you what the permit and inspection involve for your house.