AC Installation in Mequon, WI
A new air conditioner in Mequon will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Ozaukee County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Two months of real heat, then it sits
Mequon only asks for cooling in July and August, with summer afternoons averaging 78°F. That is not a long season, but a new air conditioner still has to be sized right for those weeks, not just installed and left to figure it out.
Ozaukee County has seen its share of hail and wind over the past ten years, so the outdoor unit needs to sit somewhere it is not exposed to the worst of a storm. Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so that efficiency level comes standard no matter which system goes in.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 26 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
Going above the federal minimum saves little here, about $10 a year.
Estimates for a typical Ozaukee County home, from EIA household energy data, Wisconsin fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Wisconsin requires contractors to register with the state.
That registration puts the business on file with the state, nothing more. Nobody tests the contractor's work before they get that number, and Wisconsin does not let Ozaukee County or any of its cities add a license requirement on top of it. So the registration tells you the business exists on paper. It does not tell you who checked their work.
For this job, the real check comes from the local building office. Most cities and counties in Wisconsin require a permit to replace an air conditioner, and an inspection once the work is done. That inspection is what confirms the unit was installed correctly, not the registration number the business carries.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not the square footage of your house alone. A contractor looks at your insulation, your windows, how many rooms face the sun, and your ceiling height, then works out how many BTUs your house actually loses on a hot afternoon. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity out, so the house feels clammy. Since Mequon only sees real cooling demand in July and August, there's no reason to size for anything beyond what those two months ask of the system.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit are matched and both in good shape, replacing just the outdoor unit can work. But most of the time a contractor will tell you to replace both together, because an old coil paired with a new condenser rarely reaches the efficiency the new unit is rated for, and the mismatch can shorten its life. Age matters too. If the indoor coil is old enough that the outdoor unit is failing, the coil is usually close behind it. A contractor can check whether your coil and refrigerant lines are compatible with a new condenser before you decide.
- Do HVAC contractors in Mequon need a state license to work on my home?
- Wisconsin requires HVAC contractors to register with the state through the Department of Safety and Professional Services. That registration is separate from a trade license, but it means the contractor is on record with the state and can be looked up. Ask to see their registration before work starts on your home.