New York HVAC Help
An outdoor air conditioning condenser unit positioned beside a blue-sided house at sunset.

AC Installation in Brooklyn, NY

A new air conditioner in Brooklyn will run from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Kings County will get in touch.

Tell us about the job

It takes about a minute.

Step 1 of 3: Equipment
An outdoor air conditioning condenser unit positioned on a concrete pad next to a blue-sided house, surrounded by green shrubs and flowering hydrangeas at sunset.

Four months of real heat in Kings County

Summer afternoons here average 83°F, and a new air conditioner has to hold a house steady against that from June through September. That is four months of steady runtime, not just a few hot weeks.

Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so the equipment going in is already built for that kind of season.

4 months
June through September, your air conditioner is on duty
83°F
the average summer afternoon it cools against
2 hail events
in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
13.4 SEER2
the federal minimum any new unit must meet
Isometric line illustration of a cutaway single-story house showing interior rooms with furniture, ceiling ductwork, an indoor air handler, and an outdoor condenser unit connected by lines along the exterior wall.
Your air conditioner works hardest from June through August.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

Aerial view of a gray outdoor air conditioning condenser unit mounted on a concrete pad next to a house with vinyl siding.

A higher-efficiency unit would save about $40 a year to run in Kings County compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.

  • A higher-efficiency unit$370 a year
  • A new unit at the federal minimum, 13.4 SEER2$410 a year

Estimates for a typical Kings County home, from EIA household energy data, New York 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, your ceiling height, how much sun your windows get, and how well your home holds cool air. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on square footage alone. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels damp. An undersized one runs constantly through the summer and never quite catches up. Ask whoever quotes the job to walk you through the calculation, not just hand you a number.
Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
If the indoor coil and outdoor unit were installed together and matched for the same refrigerant and capacity, replacing only the outdoor unit can throw that match off. A newer outdoor unit paired with an old indoor coil often loses efficiency and can shorten the life of the new equipment. Age matters too. If the indoor coil is old enough that it is close to failing on its own, most contractors will recommend doing both at once. A contractor can inspect the coil and tell you whether it is fit to pair with new outdoor equipment.
Do HVAC contractors in Brooklyn need a state license to work on my home?
Ask to see a contractor's license number before work starts, and check that it is current. A licensed contractor also carries insurance that protects you if something goes wrong during the install. A contractor can tell you which license and insurance apply to the work on your home.
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