HVAC Installation in Hobbs, NM
A new system here will heat from November through April and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Lea County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Lea County asks a lot of a new system, both ends of the year
Winter nights here average 28°F from December through February, and homes need heat from November through April. Summer afternoons average 94°F, and homes need cooling from May through September. That leaves only one month when a furnace or an air conditioner is not doing real work, so whatever you install has to hold up on both ends.
More than half the homes here heat with electricity, and the power does not always stay on. Lea County has recorded 9 winter storms and 127 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and across New Mexico, 13% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. It is worth asking how a new system comes back on after an outage, on a 28°F night or a 94°F afternoon.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 94°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
New Mexico requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industries Division issues that license to the contractor, not to any single job. It stays with the contractor across every job they take, not just this one.
For this installation, that license is what stands behind the work, since New Mexico licenses HVAC contractors. In most cities and counties, the job will also need a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the new system is in. That permit and inspection are a separate, local check on the installation itself, apart from the state's check on who was allowed to do it.
Source: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs get frequent, the system is old, or it can't keep up on the coldest or hottest days. A furnace or air conditioner that breaks down more than once a season is telling you the parts are wearing out together, not just the one that failed. In Hobbs, with winter lows around 28°F and summer highs near 94°F, a system that struggles on those extremes will leave the house uncomfortable for months. If a contractor tells you a repair costs a large share of what a new system would, that's usually the point to stop patching it.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If they're close in age, yes, it's often the better time to do both. A furnace and air conditioner installed together are matched to work as one system, and replacing only one can leave the other running against equipment it wasn't sized for. Homes here need heat six months a year and cooling five, so both halves get real use and wear at a similar pace. A contractor can look at the age and condition of each unit and tell you whether one is close enough behind the other to make sense doing now.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old furnace and air conditioner, sets the new equipment, and connects it to the ducts, gas or electric lines, and thermostat. They check the ductwork for leaks or damage since the new system depends on it to move air through the house. Once everything is running, they test it, check refrigerant levels and airflow, and walk through how to use the thermostat. In most cities and counties this work needs a permit from the local building office and an inspection afterward, which the contractor typically handles as part of the job.