AC Installation in Scranton, PA
A new air conditioner in Scranton will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Lackawanna County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat, and the equipment still has to hold
Scranton only asks a new air conditioner to work through July and August, with summer afternoons averaging around 78°F. That is a short season, but it still needs to be sized and installed right for those weeks, because a unit that is too small or set up wrong will run flat out and still not keep up.
Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2. Lackawanna County has also seen its share of hail and wind, so the outdoor unit's location and how it is mounted are worth getting right from the start.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 21 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 Lackawanna County home, from EIA household energy data, Pennsylvania fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Pennsylvania requires contractors to register with the state.
Registration puts a contractor's business on file with the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Nobody tested their work to get that number, and nothing about it says whether they install a system correctly. It is a record, not a credential. Pennsylvania also keeps cities and towns from layering their own HVAC license on top, so this registration is the only state-level requirement anywhere in Lackawanna County.
Since there's no license behind this job, the check that matters happens at the local building office. Installing an air conditioner needs a permit there in most cities and counties, and an inspection once the work is done. That inspection is what confirms the system was put in correctly, not the registration on file in Harrisburg.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, your ceiling height, how many windows you have and which way they face, how much insulation is in your attic and walls, and your layout. There's no shortcut around this. A unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels clammy. A unit that's too small runs nonstop on the hottest days and still can't keep up. A contractor will walk your house and run a load calculation to size it correctly, since guessing from square footage alone gets it wrong often enough that it isn't worth the risk.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases you want to replace both together. The outdoor condenser and the indoor coil are matched to work at a specific capacity, and pairing a new condenser with an old coil usually means you lose efficiency and put more strain on the compressor. If your indoor coil and ductwork are still in good shape and fairly young, a contractor may tell you it's fine to replace just the outdoor unit. That call depends on the age and condition of what's already in your house, so have someone look at both pieces before you decide.
- Do HVAC contractors in Scranton need a state license to work on my home?
- Pennsylvania doesn't license HVAC contractors the way some states do, but it does require them to register with the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Ask to see that registration before work starts. It's a basic check that confirms who you're dealing with, and it takes a minute to ask for.