AC Installation in Cumberland, MD
A new air conditioner in Cumberland will run from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Allegany County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Cumberland asks three months of real work from a new AC
Summer here runs June through August, and afternoons average 84°F. That's a short season compared to some places, but a new system still has to keep up on the hottest days in it.
Any central air conditioner installed new has to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2. That's the baseline a contractor will size and install to, matched against the load your house actually has.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 84°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 7 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 Allegany County home, from EIA household energy data, Maryland fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Maryland requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state license comes from the Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contractors. It means the contractor was tested and is on record with the state, not that the state checks in on every job. The license covers the contractor as a whole, not this specific installation.
For a new air conditioner, the license tells you the person doing the work is qualified to do it. What checks the actual installation is the local building office. In most cities and counties, a job like this needs a permit and an inspection once the unit is in, and that inspection is what confirms the work was done right.
Sources: Maryland General Assembly · Maryland Department of Labor
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- There is no single number that works for every house. It depends on the square footage, how much insulation is in the walls and attic, how many windows there are and which way they face, and how many people live there. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on home size alone. Putting in a unit that is too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity out, and one that is too small runs constantly and never quite keeps up on the hottest afternoons.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If the indoor coil and outdoor unit are more than a few years apart in age, replacing just the outdoor unit usually is not a good idea. The two are matched to work together, and pairing a new condenser with an old coil can mean the system never reaches the efficiency it is rated for, and sometimes voids the warranty on the new part. A contractor can check the age and condition of both and tell you whether the coil is still up to the job.
- Do HVAC contractors in Cumberland need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Maryland requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued through the Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contractors. The license belongs to the contractor, not to each individual job. For an AC installation, you will also likely need a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is finished.