AC Installation in Battle Mountain, NV
A new air conditioner in Battle Mountain will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Lander County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of heat, then it sits idle
Battle Mountain only needs cooling in July and August, with summer afternoons averaging around 85°F. A new air conditioner here spends most of the year shut down, then has to run through those two months without trouble.
Lander County has also logged 82 damaging wind events over the past ten years. An outdoor unit sitting through that needs to be installed solid, on a pad that holds it steady and away from debris. Any new central air conditioner installed now has to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2, so the efficiency question is already settled. What matters is a unit set up to sit idle most of the year and still run right when the heat comes back.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 2 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 $10 a year.
Estimates for a typical Lander County home, from EIA household energy data, Nevada fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Nevada requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Nevada State Contractors Board tests and licenses HVAC contractors before they can take on work like this. The license belongs to the contractor, not to the job itself, so it stands behind whoever you hire rather than being issued fresh for this one installation.
For an air conditioner install, that license is what backs the work. On top of it, most cities and counties in Nevada require a permit for this job, along with an inspection once it is done, which gives the installation a second check beyond the contractor's license.
Sources: Nevada Legislature · Nevada State Contractors Board
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, your insulation, how many windows you have and which way they face, and your ceiling height. A unit that's too big will cool the room fast but shut off before it pulls the humidity out, so the air feels damp. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a rule of thumb based on square footage alone. That's worth doing right, since summer here only lasts July and August, and you want the unit sized for those two months, not guessed at.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit were installed together and are close in age, replace both. Matching an old coil to a new outdoor unit often means the two don't perform the way they were designed to, and it can shorten the life of the new equipment. Older systems also use a different refrigerant than new outdoor units are built to run. A contractor can check the age and condition of what you have and tell you whether the coil is worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in Battle Mountain need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Nevada requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued through the Nevada State Contractors Board. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job, so it covers them for installing your air conditioner the same as any other HVAC work. Most cities and counties also require a permit for an AC installation, with an inspection once the work is finished, so ask whether that's been pulled before the crew starts.