HVAC Installation in Pasco, WA
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Franklin County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
A system that has to work most of the year
Winter nights in Franklin County average 28°F from December through February, and a new furnace or heat pump has to keep up with that for eight months, October through May. Summer only asks for two months of cooling, but those afternoons average 85°F, so the system still needs to handle real heat when it runs.
Two thirds of homes here heat with electricity, and storms are not rare. Franklin County has seen 14 winter storms and 25 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and close to a quarter of Washington households lost power for at least a day in 2024. Whatever gets installed should be sized and set up for a place that leans on it most of the year, not just a few weeks of it.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Washington requires contractors to register with the state.
Washington's registration is a business record kept by the Department of Labor and Industries. It confirms the contractor is on file with the state. It is not a license, and no trade exam sits behind it, so it does not tell you whether the crew installing your system knows the trade.
For a heating and cooling installation, the check that actually looks at the work is the permit and inspection from your local building office. In most cities and counties, putting in a new furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit, and an inspector checks the work once it's done. That inspection is what catches a bad gas connection or a system installed wrong, since registration alone will not catch either one.
Source: Washington State Legislature
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs start happening more often, or when the system can't keep the house warm on the coldest nights or cool on the hottest afternoons. Winter nights here average 28°F and summer afternoons average 85°F, so a weak system gets exposed at both ends of the year. If a repair bill starts to rival what a new system would cost, that's usually the point to stop patching it. A contractor can look at the age and condition of your equipment and tell you where it actually stands.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are old, yes, that's usually the better time to do it. A furnace and air conditioner installed together are matched to work as one system, and pairing an old furnace with a new air conditioner, or the other way around, can leave one part carrying more strain than it should. Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling only in July and August, so the furnace does most of the work over the year and its condition matters more when you're deciding on timing. A contractor can check both and tell you whether replacing one now and the other later makes sense for your equipment.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old furnace or air conditioner, sets the new equipment in place, and connects it to your ductwork, gas line or electrical circuit, along with any vent or drain lines it needs. Once it's connected, they test it to make sure it heats or cools correctly and check the airflow through your ducts. In most cities and counties, this work needs a permit from the local building office, and an inspector checks it once it's done. A contractor will walk you through what the job involves for your specific system.