HVAC Installation in San Antonio, TX
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from April through October every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Bexar County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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Bexar County asks for cooling most of the year and heat for five months
Summer afternoons here average 95°F, and your system has to hold that back from April through October, seven months of the year. That's the bigger job a new system has to be sized for. Winter is shorter and milder, November through March, with nights averaging 43°F, so the heating side runs less hard but still needs to work on the coldest nights.
Most homes in this area heat with electricity, which means the same system often covers both jobs. Almost a third of Texas households lost power for at least a day in 2024, and this area has seen 104 damaging wind events and 5 winter storms over the past ten years. That's worth asking about when you're choosing a new system and how it handles a power interruption.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 43°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 95°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Texas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
That license is issued to the contractor, not to this specific job. TDLR tests and keeps a record of the person or business holding it, and that record carries from one job to the next rather than resetting each time.
For an installation, the license covers who is allowed to do the work, but a permit and inspection from the local building office covers the work itself. In most cities and counties, putting in a new furnace or air conditioner or heat pump needs both, and the inspection is what confirms the gas connections, the wiring and the ductwork were done right after the old system comes out and the new one goes in.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Once your system is old and starting to need repairs more than once a year, replacing it usually makes more sense than keeping it going. An old system also loses efficiency well before it fails outright, so your bills creep up even when nothing seems wrong. Homes here run the air conditioner seven months a year and the furnace five, so a failing system gets pushed hard most of the year with little rest. If a contractor tells you a repair will cost close to what a new unit runs, that's the point to stop patching it.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are old, replacing them together is worth considering, but it isn't required. A furnace and air conditioner installed at different times can still work fine side by side as long as they're matched to each other. What matters more is whether either one is near the end of its life or already struggling. A contractor can look at the age and condition of both and tell you if pairing the replacement makes sense for your house.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old equipment, sets the new furnace or air conditioner in place, and connects it to your ductwork, gas line or electrical circuit, and the refrigerant lines if it's an AC or heat pump. They check the ducts for leaks or sizing problems, since new equipment can't perform right if the ducts feeding it don't move enough air. Once it's connected, they test it, checking refrigerant levels, airflow, and that the thermostat is talking to the system correctly. Texas requires the contractor doing this work to hold a state license through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.