AC Installation in Lexington, SC
A new air conditioner in Lexington will run from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Lexington County will get in touch.
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Five months of real heat, and storms in between
Lexington County runs its air conditioners May through September. That is five months of the unit working through afternoons that average 91°F. A new system here has to hold up to that stretch every year, not just get through a few hot weeks.
The county has also seen its share of hail and wind, 74 hail events and 325 damaging wind storms over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.75 inches recorded. An outdoor unit sits exposed to that. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 14.3 SEER2, so that baseline is set no matter which system goes in.
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner is on duty
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 74 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
A higher-efficiency unit would save about $30 a year to run in Lexington County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Lexington County home, from EIA household energy data, South Carolina fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not square footage alone. A contractor measures your windows, insulation, ceiling height, and how much shade your house gets before recommending a tonnage. Get this wrong and the unit either short cycles or can't keep up on the hottest afternoons, and here summer highs average 91°F, so undersizing shows up fast.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit were matched and installed together, replacing just the outdoor unit can throw off that match and hurt efficiency or even void a warranty. An old coil paired with a new condenser also tends to fail soon after, since both were wearing out on the same timeline. A contractor can check the age and condition of both pieces and tell you whether a full system replacement makes more sense than a partial swap.
- Do HVAC contractors in Lexington need a state license to work on my home?
- Check that the contractor holds a valid license before you sign anything. A license means the work has to meet code and the contractor carries the insurance required to do the job. Ask to see the license number, and confirm it if you want to be sure before the work starts.