HVAC Installation in Granite City, IL
A new system here will heat from October through April and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Madison County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
A new system here works almost year round
Granite City needs heat or cooling every month of the year. Furnaces run October through April, seven months, with winter nights averaging 25°F. Air conditioners run May through September, five months, against summer afternoons averaging 86°F. There's barely a break between one season and the next.
Most homes here heat with gas, so the furnace carries that long winter on its own. Whatever you install has to handle both jobs well, since there's no long stretch of mild weather to rest in. Power loss is worth planning for too. In 2024, 16% of Illinois households went at least 24 hours without power. A new system should come back on by itself once the power does, not wait on a reset.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 25°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
In Illinois, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the cities and towns.
Illinois has no state HVAC license. Whether a contractor needs a local license or registration depends on the town in Madison County where the house sits, since the rule is set city by city rather than statewide. There is no state record to check either way.
For an installation, the permit is what carries the weight here. Most cities and counties require a permit from the local building office before the work starts and an inspection once it is done. That inspection is what catches a bad gas connection, which is the part of an installation that can actually hurt someone.
Source: Illinois General Assembly
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs start coming often, when the system is old enough that parts are getting hard to find, or when it can no longer keep the house comfortable through winter and summer here. A furnace or air conditioner nearing the end of its life tends to run longer to hit the same temperature, and the repair calls get closer together. If a contractor is telling you the same part is wearing out again, or your energy bills have crept up without a clear reason, that is usually the sign. Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from May through September, so there is no real off season to put it off until.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are old, yes, it usually makes sense to do them together. A furnace and air conditioner installed at the same time are matched to work with each other, and pairing an old unit with a new one can mean the new one never runs at its best. It also means one visit instead of two. But if one system is much newer than the other, a contractor can tell you whether it is worth waiting on that one or replacing both now.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor first sizes the equipment to your house, checking things like square footage, insulation, and duct layout, since a unit that is too big or too small will not run efficiently. The old furnace or air conditioner gets disconnected and removed, then the new equipment is set in place and connected to the ducts, gas line or electrical, and the thermostat. Once it is running, the contractor checks refrigerant charge, airflow, and gas pressure or electrical connections, and confirms it cycles the way it should. A contractor will walk you through what your specific installation involves before starting, since the steps shift depending on whether it is a straight swap or a bigger change to the system.