AC Installation in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos summers ask little of an air conditioner
Summer afternoons here average 80°F, which is mild by most standards. A new system still has to handle the hot stretches of the afternoon, but it is not fighting the kind of heat that pushes equipment hard all season.
Any central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2. In a climate this mild, the bigger question is sizing. A unit sized for a much hotter place will cycle on and off too fast here instead of running the way it was designed to.
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 10 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 $0 a year.
Estimates for a typical Los Alamos 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 Construction Industries Division, and it belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. That means the state tested this contractor before letting them take on work like yours, and the license stays on record with the state whether they're working in Los Alamos or anywhere else in New Mexico.
For an air conditioner installation, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. In most cities and counties, the job itself also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once it's done. The inspection is what catches a bad installation, separate from whatever the license already tells you about the contractor.
Source: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, your windows, your insulation and how your house holds heat, so there's no number to give without looking at the home. A contractor will run a load calculation rather than go by square footage alone. Going too big is as much a problem as going too small, since an oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity down, leaving the house feeling clammy.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If the indoor coil and outdoor unit weren't matched and installed together, replacing just the outdoor unit usually isn't a good option. The two are matched to work as a pair, and mixing an old coil with a new condenser can hurt efficiency and shorten the life of the new equipment. A contractor can look at the age and condition of the indoor coil and tell you whether it can pair with new outdoor equipment or whether the whole system should go in together.
- Do HVAC contractors in Los Alamos 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 covers the contractor rather than the individual job, so it's worth confirming before work starts. Installing an air conditioner will also need a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the job is done.