AC Installation in Howell, MI
A new air conditioner in Howell will run from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Livingston County will get in touch.
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Howell doesn't ask much of an air conditioner, but hail does
Cooling season here is short. Homes need air conditioning from June through August, three months out of the year, with summer afternoons averaging 80°F. A new system in Howell isn't fighting heat most of the year, but it still needs to be sized right for those three months, since a unit that's too big or too small for the job wears out just as fast as one running all summer elsewhere.
The bigger risk sits outside, on the condenser. Livingston County has seen 20 hail events and 88 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 1.5 inches recorded. That's enough to bend fins or crack a cabinet on an outdoor unit left unprotected. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so that baseline is already built into what a contractor can install.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 20 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 Livingston County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Livingston County home, from EIA household energy data, Michigan fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Michigan requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Board of Mechanical Rules issues that license, and it covers the contractor, not the specific job. That means the state has tested this contractor and keeps a record of them, but the license itself does not follow the air conditioner into your house. It stands behind the person doing the work, wherever they work.
For this job, the license is what you're relying on going in, but the installation still needs to pass a local check. In most cities and counties in Livingston, putting in a new air conditioner requires a permit from the local building office, and an inspector checks the work once it's done. That inspection is separate from the state license. It looks at how the unit was installed in your home, not at who the contractor is.
Sources: Michigan Legislature · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
- 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 alone. A contractor will look at your insulation, your windows, your ceiling height, and how much sun your walls get before landing on a number. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels clammy. An undersized one runs constantly on those 80°F afternoons in June through August and still can't keep up. Get the calculation done for your house rather than going by what your neighbor has.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases both the outdoor unit and the indoor coil should be replaced together. The two are matched to work at a specific efficiency and capacity, and pairing a new outdoor unit with an old coil usually means you lose the efficiency gain you paid for. If your system is old enough that the outdoor unit is failing, the coil has likely logged the same years and the same wear. A contractor can check the age and condition of the coil and tell you whether it's worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in Howell need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Michigan requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued by the Board of Mechanical Rules. Ask to see the license number before work starts, since it confirms the contractor has met the state's training and testing requirements. This matters for insurance and warranty reasons too, since work done without a license can complicate both.