AC Installation in Augusta, ME
A new air conditioner in Augusta will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Kennebec County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat, then it shuts down again
Augusta only asks an air conditioner to work in July and August. Summer afternoons average 77°F, which is mild as far as cooling loads go, but the unit still has to be sized and installed right for the days that run hotter than that average.
A new central air conditioner installed here has to meet 13.4 SEER2, the federal minimum since 2023. Kennebec County also sees its share of hail and wind, with 55 damaging wind events and 12 hail events over the last ten years, so the outdoor unit's location and how it's mounted matter as much as the equipment itself.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 77°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 12 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 Kennebec County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Kennebec County home, from EIA household energy data, Maine fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, ceiling height, insulation, window count, and how the sun hits your house, not on a simple chart. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, called a Manual J, that weighs all of those factors together. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so rooms feel damp. An undersized one runs constantly and still can't keep up on the hottest afternoons. A contractor can walk your house and give you the number that fits it.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases you want to replace both the outdoor unit and the indoor coil together. The outdoor condenser and the indoor evaporator coil are matched to work at a specific capacity and efficiency, and pairing a new condenser with an old coil usually means you lose the efficiency gain you paid for. It can also void the manufacturer's warranty on the new equipment. If your coil is only a couple years old and still in good shape, tell the contractor when they come out. They can check whether it's a true match before deciding what needs to come out.
- Do HVAC contractors in Augusta need a state license to work on my home?
- Ask to see a license before work starts on your home. A licensed contractor also carries the insurance that protects you if something goes wrong during the install. If a contractor won't show you a license number, treat that as a reason to call someone else.