HVAC Installation in Lewiston, ME
A new system here will heat from September through May and cool from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Androscoggin County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
What a new system here has to handle
Winter nights in Lewiston average 13°F from December through February, and your new furnace or heat pump will run from September through May to keep up. That is nine months of the year, more than any other stretch. Summer only asks two months of work, with afternoons averaging 77°F, but the equipment you choose still has to cool the house those weeks.
Most homes here still heat with fuel oil, so a replacement is often a change in fuel as well as equipment. And with more than half of Maine households losing power for at least a day at some point in 2024, and a track record of 45 winter storms and 47 damaging wind events over the last ten years, what happens to your heat when the power drops is worth asking about before the old system fails on a night like that.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 13°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 77°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs are getting more frequent, when it is out of refrigerant that is being phased out, or when it can no longer keep up on the coldest or hottest days. A system that is struggling should not be pushed to the point of failure, especially with heat needed here from September through May. If a contractor is telling you a repair will cost a large share of what a new system costs, replacement is usually the better move.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are old, replacing them together makes sense, even though summer here only runs from July through August. A furnace and air conditioner installed at different times often do not match well, since the coil and the blower need to be sized to work with each other. Replacing one and leaving a much older unit in place also means you will likely face a second installation soon after the first. A contractor can look at the age and condition of both and tell you whether it makes sense to pair them or space them out.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old equipment, sets the new furnace and or air conditioner in place, and connects it to the ductwork, refrigerant lines, gas or electric supply, and venting. They will size the equipment to the house first, since a unit that is too big or too small will not heat or cool evenly. After installation, the system gets tested and the settings checked before the crew leaves. For a house here that depends on heat or cooling 11 months of the year, that testing matters, since a mistake in setup shows up the first night it has to work.