AC Installation in Clovis, NM
A new air conditioner in Clovis will run from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Curry County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
What summer asks of an AC unit in Clovis
Summer afternoons here run around 90°F, and that lasts four months, June through September. A new system has to hold the house steady through all of it, day after day, not just on the hottest afternoon.
Clovis also sees its share of hail and wind, with 99 hail events and 101 damaging wind events recorded over the last ten years, some hail over 2.75 inches. The outdoor unit sits outside through all of that, so how it's installed and protected matters as much as the equipment itself. Any new central air conditioner installed since 2023 has to meet a federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2.
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 99 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 Curry County home, from EIA household energy data, New Mexico fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
New Mexico requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license comes from the state's Construction Industries Division, and it belongs to the contractor, not to any one job. The state tested that contractor before handing it out, and the license stays on record there for anyone to check against the name on your quote.
For an air conditioner installation, that license is what stands behind the work, but Curry County still has its own say. Most cities and counties in New Mexico require a permit for a job like this, with an inspection once the installation is done, so the county's inspector is the one who confirms the work was done right, separate from anything the state license covers.
Source: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- There is no way to answer that without looking at your house. A contractor works out the size with a load calculation, which weighs your square footage against your insulation, your windows, your ceiling height, and how much shade your house gets. Put in a unit that is too big and it cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels clammy. Too small and it runs nonstop on your 90°F summer afternoons and never quite catches up. Ask whoever quotes the job to walk you through the load calculation rather than just naming a tonnage.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases, the outdoor unit and the indoor coil need to be matched, so swapping just one usually means swapping both. Manufacturers pair a specific condenser with a specific coil to hit their rated efficiency, and mixing an old coil with a new condenser can mean the system never runs the way it is supposed to. There are exceptions where a coil is new enough and compatible, and a contractor can tell you that once they look at what you have. Age matters too. If the indoor coil is old, replacing only the outdoor unit often just means a second replacement sooner.
- Do HVAC contractors in Clovis need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. New Mexico requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued through the Construction Industries Division. The license belongs to the contractor, not to the individual job, so it covers them across the work they do, including installing your air conditioner. Beyond the license, most cities and counties also require a permit for an install like this, along with an inspection once the work is finished. Ask your contractor whether they are pulling the permit as part of the job.