AC Installation in Vancouver, WA
A new air conditioner in Vancouver will run from August through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Clark County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Vancouver summers don't ask much of an air conditioner
Summer afternoons here average just 77°F. That's a mild ask compared to most of the country, and it means a new air conditioner in Vancouver isn't fighting extreme heat to keep a house comfortable.
Any central air conditioner installed new has to meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2. That's the baseline now, not an upgrade you have to ask for.
- 1 months
- August through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 77°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 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 $20 a year.
Estimates for a typical Clark County home, from EIA household energy data, Washington fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Washington requires contractors to register with the state.
That registration means the contractor's business is on file with the Department of Labor and Industries. There is no trade exam behind it, and nothing about how well someone installs an air conditioner gets tested before the number is issued. The registration tells you the business is on record, not that the state checked the work.
For this job, the protection you are leaning on is the permit. In most cities and counties, installing an air conditioner needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done. That inspection is where someone other than the installer looks at the finished work.
Source: Washington State Legislature
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your home's square footage, how many windows it has, which way they face, how much insulation is in the attic and walls, and how many people live there. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on square footage alone. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels clammy even at the right temperature. An undersized one runs constantly and still can't keep up on the hottest afternoons. With summer highs here averaging 77°F, most homes don't need a large system, but the only way to know your number is to have someone measure your house.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit were installed together and matched to work as a pair, replacing only the outdoor unit can leave you with a mismatched system that runs poorly and wears out faster. New outdoor units also have to meet the 13.4 SEER2 minimum that took effect in 2023, and pairing one with an older indoor coil can mean the system never actually reaches that rating. A contractor can check the age and condition of your indoor coil and tell you whether it's worth keeping or whether replacing both makes more sense for your house.
- Do HVAC contractors in Vancouver need a state license to work on my home?
- Washington doesn't license HVAC contractors through a trade exam. It requires them to register with the Department of Labor and Industries, which is a business record, not a test of their skill. Installing a new air conditioner also needs a permit from your local building office and an inspection once the work is done, so ask any contractor whether they'll pull that permit before the job starts.