AC Installation in Bartlesville, OK
A new air conditioner in Bartlesville will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Washington County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Five months of Bartlesville summer, and the storms in between
Your air conditioner runs May through September here, with summer afternoons averaging 90°F. That is five months of steady work for a system that has to keep up day after day.
Bartlesville has also logged 46 hail events and 56 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail as large as 2.5 inches. An outdoor unit sits exposed to that. If you're installing new, a system built to meet the current federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2 gives you a fresh start, and it's worth asking your contractor how the unit and its coil hold up against hail and wind before it goes in the ground.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 46 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 Washington County home, from EIA household energy data, Oklahoma fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Oklahoma requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industries Board issues that license to the contractor as a business. It means the state tested them and keeps a record of who they are. It does not mean the state signed off on this particular installation.
For an air conditioner installation in Washington County, the license is what stands behind the work itself. Most cities and counties also require a permit before the new unit goes in, along with an inspection once it's installed. The license covers who is allowed to do the job. The permit and inspection cover what got done at the house.
Source: Oklahoma State Legislature
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not a rule of thumb based on square footage. A contractor looks at your insulation, your windows, how much shade your house gets, and your layout to work out how much heat needs to leave the house on a 90 degree afternoon here in Bartlesville. Too big and the unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels clammy. Too small and it runs the whole afternoon without catching up. A contractor can size the job for your specific house.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases you replace both the outdoor unit and the indoor coil together. The coil and the condenser are matched to work at a specific efficiency, and pairing a new condenser with an old coil usually means the system never reaches the rating it was built for. It can also void the manufacturer's warranty on the new equipment. A contractor can look at the age and condition of your coil and tell you whether it can be paired with new equipment or whether it needs to come out too.
- Do HVAC contractors in Bartlesville need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Oklahoma requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued through the Construction Industries Board. The license belongs to the contractor, not to the individual job, so it covers the person or company doing your installation. Beyond the state license, installing a new air conditioner in most cities and counties also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done.