AC Installation in Chicago, IL
A new air conditioner in Chicago will run from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Cook County will get in touch.
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Three months of real heat, and storms in between
Cook County asks three months of real work from a new air conditioner, June through August, with summer afternoons averaging 82°F. That is not a long season, but it runs hard while it lasts.
The bigger risk to a new unit sits outside the box on your wall. The area has logged 171 hail events and 548 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.75 inches recorded. A condenser installed outside needs to stand up to that, not just the heat. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 171 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 Cook County home, from EIA household energy data, Illinois fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
In Illinois, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the cities and towns.
In Cook County, whether a contractor needs a license comes down to the local building department rather than the state. Some towns license HVAC contractors directly, others register them, and some leave it open. There is no statewide test or record to check against, so what applies to this job depends on the city or township the house sits in.
For an air conditioner installation, the permit is what puts a second set of eyes on the work. In most cities and counties here, the job needs a permit from the local building office and an inspection once it is done, and that inspection is what confirms the unit was installed and connected correctly. That check does not come from a license. It comes from the building department itself.
Source: Illinois General Assembly
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- There's no way to answer that without measuring your house. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, which looks at your square footage, insulation, window count and orientation, and ceiling height. Going bigger than what the calculation says isn't a safe bet either. An oversized unit cools the air fast and shuts off before it pulls enough moisture out, so the house feels clammy even at the right temperature.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit are more than a few years apart in age, replacing just the outdoor unit usually isn't the better move. The two are matched to work together, and pairing an old coil with a new condenser can mean the new unit never runs at the efficiency it's rated for. There's also the refrigerant to think about. A contractor can check whether your indoor coil is compatible before deciding which way to go.
- Do HVAC contractors in Chicago need a state license to work on my home?
- Illinois doesn't license HVAC contractors at the state level for home work. That's handled city by city, so whether your contractor needs a local license depends on where you live. Check with your city to see what it requires before you hire anyone.