AC Installation in El Dorado, AR
A new air conditioner in El Dorado will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Union County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of El Dorado heat, and storms in between
Your air conditioner works from May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 92°F. That is the stretch it has to get through every year, running hard on the hottest days to keep the house at the temperature you set.
Union County also sees its share of rough weather. Ten years of storm records show 37 hail events and 56 damaging wind events, so a unit sitting outside needs to hold up to more than just heat. If you're installing new, anything built since 2023 has to meet a federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2, and that's the baseline a licensed installer will size and set up around your house.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 92°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 37 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
Going above the federal minimum saves little here, about $20 a year.
Estimates for a typical Union County home, from EIA household energy data, Arkansas fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor, not tied to this one job. Arkansas tests and records the business, and that record stays with them from one job to the next. Counties and cities in Union County cannot add their own HVAC license on top of it, so the state's is the one that applies here.
For an air conditioner installation, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. Beyond that, most cities and counties require a permit for a new air conditioner, with an inspection once the installation is done, and that inspection is what checks the work itself.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- 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's insulated, so a contractor needs to look at your house to size it correctly. Guessing at size or going by the old unit's rating can backfire. Too big and it cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity out, so the house feels clammy. Too small and it runs constantly trying to keep up, especially on those 92°F afternoons here in summer. A contractor will run a load calculation on your actual house and size the unit to match.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases the outdoor unit and the indoor coil need to be matched, so replacing just one and leaving the other old can mean the new part never runs the way it's rated to. If your indoor coil is old, mismatched refrigerant and a worn coil can cut into the efficiency you're paying for with the new outdoor unit. Age matters too. If both parts are getting old, replacing them together avoids paying for a repair now on a coil that fails soon after. A contractor can check the age and condition of your coil and tell you whether it's still a good match for a new outdoor unit.
- Do HVAC contractors in El Dorado need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license to do this work. Asking to see it before work starts is reasonable, and a licensed contractor should have no trouble showing it.