HVAC Installation in Schenectady, NY
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Schenectady County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
What Schenectady winters and summers ask of a new system
Your heating system will run from October through May here, eight months out of the year. Winter nights average 17°F from December through February, and a furnace has to hold a house steady through months of nights that cold. Most homes in the area heat with gas, so the furnace carries that load on its own.
Cooling only has two months of real work, July and August, with afternoons averaging 79°F. New furnaces and air conditioners sold today have to meet federal minimum efficiency standards, and whatever gets installed in your home will meet those.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 17°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs start happening every year, when a single repair costs close to what a new system would, or when the system can't keep the house comfortable anymore. A furnace that can't keep up on the coldest nights here, when lows average 17°F through December to February, is telling you something. Rising energy bills with no other explanation are another sign the equipment is losing efficiency. A contractor can look at the age and condition of your specific system and tell you whether repair still makes sense.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are old, replacing them together often makes sense, but it depends on the condition of each one. A furnace and air conditioner installed at different times can still work fine side by side as long as they're sized to work together. Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling only in July and August, so the furnace usually sees far more wear and may need replacing first. A contractor can check both systems and tell you whether pairing the work makes sense for your house.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old equipment, checks the ductwork and venting, and sets the new furnace, air conditioner, or both in place. They connect the gas line or electrical circuit, the ductwork or refrigerant lines, and the thermostat wiring, then run the system through a full heating or cooling cycle before leaving. On a furnace they'll check the flue and combustion air. On an air conditioner they'll check the refrigerant charge and airflow across the coil. The exact steps and the time it takes depend on what's being installed and the layout of the house, which a contractor can walk through for your specific job.