What New Jersey homes are up against.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, bulk CSV export, events 2015-01-01 through 2024-12-31. · U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
A homeowner shopping for a new system in New Jersey is really shopping for something to run the burner and the heat exchanger hard, not something to hold up under summer load. Homes in New Jersey run heat about eight months a year, from October through May. That means the ignition system and the heat exchanger carry most of the cycling this equipment will do over its life, while the compressor sits idle for a good stretch of it. A furnace that short-cycles or struggles to hold a clean flame is failing at the job it was actually bought to do, and that failure shows up long before a compressor would ever get tested.
Before a new furnace or condenser gets specified, a contractor has to open up what is already connected to it. Ductwork, venting, and electrical service were sized for whatever ran before, not for the unit going in now. Half the homes in New Jersey were built in 1970 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year). A duct run that moved air fine for an old system can choke a more efficient one. A panel that handled an old furnace may not have room for a heat pump. None of that shows up on a floor plan or a spec sheet. It shows up when a contractor pulls the cover off and looks.
Does your New Jersey county get hit harder by severe weather?
2015–2024 · Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database.
A county with a heavier storm record puts more strain on the equipment sitting outside your home. Wind, hail and heavy rain all reach a condenser sitting in the open, and a unit that gets knocked around or pelted season after season wears faster than one that doesn't. If your county sits high on this list, have a contractor check the pad or mounting the outdoor unit sits on, how well it's anchored, and the condition of the cabinet itself.
New Jersey requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Licenses are issued by the State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) Contractors.
Sources: New Jersey Legislature · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs