AC Installation in Wausau, WI
A new air conditioner in Wausau will run from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Marathon County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Wausau doesn't ask much of an air conditioner, but it still needs to be sized right
Summers here are short. Homes need cooling from July through August, and even then the average summer afternoon only reaches 78°F. A new system isn't fighting extreme heat for months on end, it's covering two months of moderate afternoons.
That makes correct sizing the thing to get right. An oversized unit will cool the air fast and shut off before it pulls the moisture out, leaving the house feeling clammy even at the right temperature. Any central air conditioner installed new has to meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so efficiency is built in. Getting the size matched to your house is what determines how well it actually works.
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 49 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 Marathon 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 and nothing more. Nobody tests the contractor's trade knowledge to get on that list, and the state does not license HVAC work here. Wisconsin also does not let Marathon County or any city add its own HVAC license on top, so this registration is the only state-level record that exists for whoever installs your air conditioner.
What stands in for that here is the permit and inspection your installation needs. In most cities and counties, putting in a new air conditioner requires a permit from the local building office, and an inspection once the work is done. That inspection is what actually confirms the job was done right, not the registration.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size depends on your square footage, your ceiling height, how much shade and sun your walls and windows get, and how well the house is insulated. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on square footage alone. Getting this wrong matters here. An oversized unit cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the humidity down, and Wausau summers average 78°F, so comfort comes down to humidity control as much as temperature. A contractor who measures your house and does the calculation will get you the right number.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases the outdoor unit and indoor coil need to be matched, so replacing only one usually means replacing both anyway. If your furnace or air handler is old too, a contractor will look at its age and condition alongside the outdoor unit before recommending a fix. Mismatched equipment tends to run less efficiently and wear out sooner, even if it technically fits together. A contractor can look at what you have and tell you whether a partial swap makes sense or whether the whole system should go at once.
- Do HVAC contractors in Wausau 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. This registration is what lets you check that a contractor is legitimate before they start work in your home. Ask to see it, or look it up yourself, before you sign anything.