AC Installation in St. Joseph, MO
A new air conditioner in St. Joseph will run from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Buchanan County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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What St. Joseph summers ask of a new air conditioner
Your air conditioner in St. Joseph works four months a year, June through September, with summer afternoons averaging 86°F. When it runs, it needs to keep up on those afternoons, and that comes down to how it was sized and installed.
Buchanan County has also logged 24 hail events and 72 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hailstones as large as 2.75 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of that, so the cabinet and the coil inside it are what take the hit. Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so that much is set before the contractor even shows up. What is left to get right is sizing the system for your home and installing it well.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 24 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 Buchanan County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Buchanan County home, from EIA household energy data, Missouri fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- It depends on your home's square footage, ceiling height, insulation, and how much shade it gets, not just a rule of thumb per square foot. A unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, leaving the house feeling clammy. One that's too small runs constantly and still can't keep up on the hottest afternoons. A contractor will run a load calculation on your actual house and size the system to match it.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases you want to replace the outdoor unit and the indoor coil together. They're matched to work at a specific efficiency and capacity, and pairing a new outdoor unit with an old coil can mean the system never runs the way it's rated to. It can also void the manufacturer's warranty on the new equipment. A contractor can check whether your existing coil and ductwork are in good enough shape to keep, but if your system is old, plan on replacing both.
- Do HVAC contractors in St. Joseph need a state license to work on my home?
- Licensing rules for HVAC work vary by state, so ask any contractor you're considering to show you their license number and confirm it's current before work starts. A licensed contractor also carries the insurance that protects you if something goes wrong during the job. Don't take a business card or a truck logo as proof, ask to see it.