Is the estimate really free?

Yes — the survey, the load calculation and the written estimate, with no obligation attached. We will also meet or beat any verifiable quote on comparable work, where comparable means the same capacity, the same matched equipment and the same scope.

How long does an installation take?

A straightforward residential changeout is usually a single day. Work involving duct modifications runs longer, and the schedule is confirmed with your estimate rather than guessed at on the day.

Do I have to replace the indoor unit too?

Usually. Replacing the outdoor condenser while leaving a mismatched indoor coil in place gives you neither the efficiency nor the capacity on the label. If only half a system is being replaced, that decision needs a reason behind it.

How long should a new system last?

With regular maintenance, air conditioners and furnaces commonly last 12 to 20 years; heat pumps, which run year-round, tend toward 12 to 15. Maintenance is the single biggest factor in where you land in that range.

Will a new system lower my energy bills?

A properly sized, higher-efficiency system replacing an old and inefficient one generally does. In this climate it also tends to improve how the house feels by more than the temperature reading suggests, because it manages humidity better.

Service

AC installation & replacement

The biggest HVAC decision most homeowners make, and the one most often got wrong before any equipment is even chosen. We calculate the load first.

Sizing is the decision that matters

Ask what size system a house needs and the shortcut answer is square footage divided by a rule of thumb — commonly 400 to 600 square feet per ton in a climate like ours. That gets you a ballpark. It does not get you a specification, and it is not what we quote from.

A load calculation accounts for what the shortcut ignores: insulation, window area and orientation, ceiling height, air leakage, duct location and condition, shading, and how many people actually live there. Two houses with identical footprints can land a full ton apart.

Oversizing is the more common error and the more damaging one here. An oversized system reaches temperature fast, shuts off, and never runs long enough to pull moisture out of the air. You get a house that is cold and clammy at once — and it is the direct consequence of replacing a system by matching the old tonnage instead of measuring.

The ducts set the ceiling on everything

Equipment ratings are measured under specific laboratory conditions. Your duct system decides whether your house ever sees them.

Leakage matters most where ducts run through unconditioned space. A supply leak in a hot attic loses air you paid to cool. A return leak actively pulls hot, humid attic air into the system, which in this climate is much the worse of the two. Undersized returns and crushed flex duct do the same damage a different way, by raising static pressure until the blower cannot move design airflow.

If a replacement quote does not mention the ductwork at all, that is worth asking about before you sign it.

Choosing between efficiency tiers

A long cooling season means efficiency differences accumulate over more hours here than they would further north, so the case for paying up is genuinely stronger on this coast than national averages suggest.

It is not unlimited. Past a point the incremental gain shrinks while the price step does not, and the payback stretches beyond how long many people stay in the house. A fair question to put to us, and to anyone else quoting: what is the estimated annual running-cost difference between these tiers on this house, and how many years is that to recover?

Variable-speed and two-stage equipment also do something the efficiency number only partly captures. Running longer at lower output removes more humidity, which is the comfort complaint people in this region actually have.

Commissioning is the part you cannot see

Refrigerant charge and airflow get verified before we leave, rather than assumed. A correctly specified system that leaves with the wrong charge will underperform for its entire life, and nothing about that is visible from the thermostat or from the invoice.

It is also the step most easily skipped, which is a large part of why two installations of identical equipment can behave completely differently.