AC Installation in Sundance, WY
A new air conditioner in Sundance will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Crook County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat is still enough to size right
Sundance only asks a lot of an air conditioner for about two months, July and August, with afternoons averaging 82°F. That's a short season, but hail is the bigger risk here. Crook County has seen 183 hail events over the past ten years, with stones up to 3.25 inches, plus 123 damaging wind events in that same stretch. An outdoor unit sitting through that needs to be installed and positioned with that in mind, not just sized for the temperature.
Any new central air conditioner installed now has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2. That's the baseline, not a special upgrade, so it's worth asking what a contractor is installing above that line and why.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 183 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 Crook County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Crook County home, from EIA household energy data, Wyoming fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, ceiling height, insulation, window placement, and how much shade your house gets, not just floor area. A unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so rooms feel damp and clammy. One that's too small runs constantly and still can't keep up on the hottest afternoons. A contractor will do a load calculation on the actual house to get this right, since guessing at tonnage from square footage alone gets it wrong often enough to matter.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit were installed together and matched for the same refrigerant and capacity, replacing only the outdoor unit can leave them mismatched, and that shows up as weaker cooling and higher strain on the compressor. Age matters too. If the indoor coil is old, replacing just the condenser now often means replacing the coil again in a few years anyway. A contractor can check whether your coil is compatible with a new outdoor unit before you decide, since that depends on what's already installed.
- Do HVAC contractors in Sundance need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes, HVAC contractors need a state license to do this work legally. Ask to see the license number before any work starts, and check that it's current. A licensed contractor has also passed inspection requirements tied to the work, which matters given how many hail and wind events roll through this area and can damage outdoor units.