HVAC Installation in Kalamazoo, MI
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Kalamazoo County will get in touch.
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Kalamazoo asks a new system to work almost year round
Winter nights here average 19°F from December through February, and homes need heat from October through May, eight months a year. Summer adds three more months of cooling, June through August, when afternoons average 81°F. That leaves only one month of the year when a heating and cooling system in Kalamazoo is not carrying the load.
Most homes here heat with gas, so the furnace side of a new system matters as much as the air conditioner side. Whatever gets installed has to hold up through eight months of cold nights and three months of hot afternoons, with almost no season off in between.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 19°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 81°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Michigan requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state tested this contractor before handing out that license, and the Board of Mechanical Rules keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it stands behind the person or company doing the work, not behind this particular installation as it happens.
The check on this specific job comes from somewhere else. In most cities and counties in Kalamazoo, putting in a new furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit before the work starts and an inspection once it is done. The license says who is allowed to do the job. The permit and inspection are what a local inspector uses to look at this system, in this house, once it is in.
Sources: Michigan Legislature · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Look at age and how often it breaks down, not just whether it still runs. A furnace or air conditioner that is old is working harder to do what it used to do easily, and parts get harder to find as a unit ages. If yours is calling for a repair every year now, or the last technician told you a major part is failing, that is usually the point where replacing costs less over time than fixing it again and again. In Kalamazoo the furnace matters most, since homes here need heat from October through May, and winter nights average 19°F. A system that fails on a night that cold leaves you with no good options, so if yours is old and struggling, it is worth replacing before it quits rather than after.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are near the end of their life, yes, and here is why. Furnaces and air conditioners installed together are matched to work as one system, and pairing an old unit with a new one can mean the new one never runs at its rated efficiency. Replacing both also means one installation instead of two, so the ductwork and controls only get touched once. If your air conditioner is still young and only the furnace is failing, though, there is no reason to replace a unit that has years left in it. A contractor can tell you whether your two units are actually matched or were installed at different times.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old equipment first, then sets the new furnace, air conditioner, or both in place and connects them to your ductwork, gas line, refrigerant lines, and electrical. Once everything is connected, the system gets tested under real operation, checking things like airflow, refrigerant charge, and that the thermostat is communicating correctly with the equipment. The contractor should also check that your ductwork is sized right for the new equipment, since a duct system built for an old unit does not always match a new one's airflow needs. Before they leave, they will walk you through the thermostat and answer questions about how the new system runs.