HVAC Installation in Hot Springs, AR
A new system here will heat from November through April and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Garland County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work for a system that has to handle both
Hot Springs asks a heating and cooling system to run almost year round. Heat from November through April, six months. Cooling from May through September, five months. That leaves one month of rest, if it gets that.
Winter nights average 33°F, so the furnace or heat pump isn't fighting deep cold, but it is running steadily for six months straight. Summer afternoons average 90°F, and the AC has to hold the house against that heat for five more. A new system here needs to be sized for both jobs, not just the one that feels more urgent at install time. Most homes in this area heat with electricity, and storms have cut power here before. Whatever gets installed should come back on by itself once the power does.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 33°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Arkansas licenses HVAC contractors. The state tests the contractor and keeps that record, and the license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job. Counties and cities in Arkansas cannot layer their own HVAC license on top of it, so the state's is the only one that applies here in Garland County.
That license covers the contractor, not this particular installation. For a job like this, putting in a new furnace and air conditioner, most cities and counties still want a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done. The license is what says this contractor was tested and is on record with the state. The permit and inspection, where the local office requires them, are what check the finished job.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Once a repair costs close to what a new system runs, replacement makes more sense than another fix. Age matters too. An older furnace or air conditioner works harder than it used to, and with heat or cooling needed 11 months of the year in Hot Springs, that wear adds up fast. If you're calling for repairs more than once a season, or your energy bills keep climbing without a clear reason, have a licensed contractor look at the whole system before you spend more on patching it.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both units are close in age, replacing them together is often the better move. They're built to work as a pair, and mismatched equipment can mean the new unit never runs the way it's supposed to. It also means you won't be pulling apart a matched system a few years later to swap in one new piece. If one unit is newer than the other, a contractor can tell you whether it's worth keeping or replacing now.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old equipment, then sets the new furnace, air conditioner, or both in place and connects them to the ductwork, electrical, gas line, or refrigerant lines as needed. They'll check that the ducts are sized right for the new equipment, since a system that's too big or too small for the ducts won't heat or cool evenly. Once everything is connected, they run the system through a full cycle and check the airflow and temperature at the vents before calling the job done. Arkansas requires the contractor doing this work to hold a state license, so ask to see it before work starts.