AC Installation in Texarkana, AR
A new air conditioner in Texarkana will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Miller County will get in touch.
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Five months of Texarkana heat, and storms in between
Miller County asks a lot of a new air conditioner. Summer afternoons average 92°F, and the unit runs from May through September, five months of the year. That is the stretch it has to hold up under, not just a few hot weeks.
Hail and wind are part of the picture too. Over the past ten years the area has seen 22 hail events and 57 damaging wind events, with hailstones up to 1.5 inches. An outdoor condenser sits exposed to all of that, so where and how it goes in matters. Any new system installed now has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 14.3 SEER2.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 92°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 22 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 Miller 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 belongs to the contractor, not to this one job. Arkansas tests and records the business itself, and once it holds that license it can take on work anywhere in the state. Counties and cities in Arkansas cannot add their own license on top of it, so the same state license applies whether the job is in Miller County or anywhere else.
For an air conditioner installation, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. In most cities and counties, a job like this also needs a permit from the local building office along with an inspection once the work is done, which is separate from the license itself.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- There's no fixed answer without a load calculation on your specific house. A contractor figures this by looking at your square footage, insulation, window placement, and how much shade your house gets, not just square footage alone. An oversized unit cools too fast and shuts off before it pulls humidity out of the air, and an undersized one runs constantly and still can't keep up on a 92 degree afternoon. Ask whoever quotes the job to walk you through their calculation, not just hand you a number.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases, if your outdoor unit is failing, the indoor coil and furnace should go with it. New outdoor units built today have to meet a 14.3 SEER2 minimum, and pairing one with an old indoor coil built for a different refrigerant or airflow rate means you lose a lot of that efficiency. Matched systems also come with a coordinated warranty, where mixing old and new parts can void it. A contractor can tell you the condition of your indoor coil and whether it's worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in Texarkana need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license. Before hiring anyone, ask to see their license number and confirm it's active with the state board. That protects you if the work is faulty or if there's a dispute over what was done.