AC Installation in Malvern, AR
A new air conditioner in Malvern will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Hot Spring County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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What summer in Malvern asks of a new air conditioner
Your air conditioner runs from May through September here, five months of the year. Summer afternoons average 91°F, and that is what a new system has to hold against, day after day, for most of the year.
Hot Spring County has seen 45 damaging wind events and 26 hail events over the past ten years, including hail up to 3 inches. An outdoor unit sits outside through all of that. Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum efficiency of 14.3 SEER2, and that is a good baseline to expect from a replacement or new install.
- 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
Going above the federal minimum saves little here, about $20 a year.
Estimates for a typical Hot Spring 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 issued to the contractor, not to the job. It does not get renewed or reissued for your installation specifically. Arkansas also keeps this a state matter. Counties and cities in Hot Spring County cannot add their own HVAC license requirement on top of it, so the state license is the one credential that applies here.
For an air conditioner installation, the other check on the work is local, not the license. Most cities and counties require a permit from the local building office before the work starts, and an inspection once it is done. That inspection is what catches a bad installation after the fact, separate from whatever the state license already covers.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- It depends on your home's square footage, ceiling height, insulation, window placement, and how much shade it gets, not on a simple square-footage chart. A unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity out, so rooms feel clammy. A unit that's too small runs constantly and still can't keep up on a 91 degree afternoon, which is normal here through the summer. A contractor will do a load calculation on your actual house before recommending a size.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit weren't installed together and matched for the same refrigerant and capacity, replacing only the outdoor unit can leave you with a system that doesn't cool right or wears out early. Age matters too. If the indoor coil is old, replacing just the condenser outside often means paying for a repair now and the coil again soon after. A contractor can check whether your existing coil and ductwork are still in good enough shape to pair with a new outdoor unit, or whether the whole system needs to go in together.
- Do HVAC contractors in Malvern need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license to do this work. Ask to see the license number before any work starts on your home.