AC Installation in Paterson, NJ
A new air conditioner in Paterson will run from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Passaic County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of real heat, then it sits idle
Paterson asks for cooling from June through August, with summer afternoons averaging 82°F. That is a short stretch compared to a lot of the country, but the unit still has to hold up on the hottest days and then sit through the rest of the year without running.
Passaic County has recorded 42 damaging wind events and 6 hail events over the past ten years, so the outdoor cabinet has to take some weather along with pushing cold air. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, the baseline for how efficiently it turns power into cooling.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 6 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 Passaic County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Passaic County home, from EIA household energy data, New Jersey fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
New Jersey requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors licenses HVAC contractors in New Jersey. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job, so it does not have to be renewed for each installation. No city or town in Passaic County can require its own separate license on top of that.
For an air conditioner installation, that state license is what stands behind the contractor's work. The local building office still has a part in it. Most installations need a permit and an inspection once the work is done, and that inspection checks the installation itself, not the contractor's standing.
Sources: New Jersey Legislature · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, your ceiling height, how much shade and window area your house has, and how well it holds cool air. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on house size alone. Putting in a unit that is too big or too small for the house causes problems either way, so this is worth getting right rather than guessing.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases the outdoor unit and the indoor coil need to be matched, so replacing only the outdoor unit can leave you with a mismatched system that does not run right or wears out early. If your indoor coil and ductwork are in good shape and compatible with a new outdoor unit, a contractor may be able to replace just that unit. A contractor who inspects your indoor coil and ductwork along with the outdoor unit can tell you which parts you actually need to replace.
- Do HVAC contractors in Paterson need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. New Jersey requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the State Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors, and Paterson cannot require its own separate license on top of that. The license belongs to the contractor, not to a specific job, so ask to see it before work starts. You will also need a permit from Paterson's building office for the installation, with an inspection once the work is done.