AC Installation in McAllen, TX
A new air conditioner in McAllen will run from February through November every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Hidalgo County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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Ten months of cooling in McAllen
Your air conditioner works from February through November here, with summer afternoons averaging 97°F. That is most of the year spent running, and only a couple of months where it gets a real rest.
A new system installed today has to be sized and installed right to keep up with those afternoons without running nonstop. Any new central air conditioner also has to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2, so the efficiency floor is already set. What matters most is getting the installation right for the load this climate puts on it.
- 10 months
- February through November, your air conditioner is on duty
- 97°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 50 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 $50 a year to run in Hidalgo County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Hidalgo County home, from EIA household energy data, Texas fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Texas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
That license is issued to the contractor, not to the job. It means TDLR tested this person or their business before they were allowed to take on work like yours, and their name is on file with the state. It does not mean the state shows up to check this particular installation.
That checking happens locally instead. In most cities and counties, installing an air conditioner needs a permit from the local building office, and an inspection once the work is done. That inspection is what confirms this unit was put in correctly, not the license itself.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- There's no single number that works for every home, it comes down to a load calculation a contractor runs on your specific house. Square footage matters, but so does how much insulation you have, which way your windows face, and how many people live there. Guessing on size backfires either way. Too big and it cools the air fast but never runs long enough to pull the humidity out, too small and it runs constantly during those 97°F afternoons without ever catching up. A contractor doing your installation should walk through the house and calculate this before quoting equipment.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor and outdoor units were installed together, replacing just the outdoor unit usually isn't a good option. The coil, the refrigerant, and the controls on both pieces are matched to work together, and pairing a new outdoor unit with an old indoor coil can mean the system never runs at the efficiency it's rated for. Age matters too. With cooling needed here 10 months a year, a mismatched system is working hard almost year round, which is a lot of strain to put on parts that weren't designed to work together. A contractor can look at what you have and tell you whether the indoor coil is still compatible with newer outdoor equipment.
- Do HVAC contractors in McAllen need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Texas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Ask to see the license number before work starts, and you can look it up directly with TDLR to confirm it's current.