AC Installation in Yakima, WA
A new air conditioner in Yakima will run from July through July every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Yakima County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Yakima summers don't ask much, but a new unit still has to meet the mark
Summer afternoons here average 78°F, and July is really the only month a new air conditioner has to work hard. That's a short, mild season compared to a lot of places, but the unit you install still has to be sized and set up right for the heat it will see.
Any new central air conditioner installed here has to meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2. That's the floor, not a feature, so it's worth knowing where the system you're getting stands against it.
- 1 months
- July through July, your air conditioner is on duty
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 1 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 Yakima 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.
Registration means the contractor's business is on file with the Department of Labor and Industries. There's no trade exam behind it, so the state hasn't tested how this contractor sizes or installs a system. The number on file tells you the business is registered, not that the work will be done right.
For an install like this, the protection comes from your local building office. Most cities and counties in Washington require a permit before an air conditioner goes in, and an inspection once it's done. That inspection is what checks the work, not the registration.
Source: Washington State Legislature
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not a rule of thumb based on square footage. A contractor looks at your insulation, your windows, how much shade your house gets, and the layout of your ductwork to figure out how much heat your house gains on a hot afternoon. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity down, so the house feels clammy. An undersized one runs constantly and still can't keep up on the hottest days. With summer highs here averaging around 78°F, most houses don't need an oversized system to stay comfortable, which makes getting the calculation right even more worth doing.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit are more than a few years apart in age, replacing just the outdoor unit usually isn't the better move. The two are matched to work together, and pairing a new condenser with an old coil can mean the system never reaches the efficiency or the cooling capacity it's rated for. It can also void the manufacturer's warranty on the new equipment. A contractor can check whether your existing coil and ductwork can handle a new outdoor unit, or whether the whole system needs to come out together.
- Do HVAC contractors in Yakima need a state license to work on my home?
- Washington requires contractors to register with the Department of Labor and Industries, but that's a business registration, not a trade license, and there's no state trade exam behind it. Registration means the contractor has a bond and insurance on file with the state. Installing a central air conditioner also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done, so ask whoever you hire whether they're pulling that permit.