AC Installation in Memphis, TN
A new air conditioner in Memphis will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Shelby County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of Memphis heat, every year
From May through September your air conditioner runs almost every day, working against afternoons that average 90°F. That kind of stretch adds up fast on a system that is already struggling or sized wrong for the house.
A new central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2. That is the floor, not a feature, so the difference between installers is in the sizing and the setup, not the rating on the sticker.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 51 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 Shelby County home, from EIA household energy data, Tennessee fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- A contractor has to measure your house to answer that, not guess from its square footage. The right size depends on your insulation, your windows, how many stories you have, and which way your house faces. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels damp. An undersized one runs constantly through Memphis summers and still can't keep up when the afternoon hits 90°F. A load calculation done at your house is the only way to get the number right.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases replacing just the outdoor unit is not a good idea. The outdoor unit and the indoor coil are matched to work together, and pairing a new one with an old coil usually means the system never reaches the efficiency it was built for. It can also void the manufacturer's warranty on the new equipment. If your indoor coil is old enough that the outdoor unit needs replacing, it is usually close to the end of its own life too. A contractor can look at both and tell you whether the coil is worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in Memphis need a state license to work on my home?
- Tennessee requires a license for HVAC contracting work. You can ask to see a contractor's license number and check it against the state's contractor licensing board before any work starts. A licensed contractor also carries the insurance that protects you if something goes wrong during the install.