HVAC Installation in Oshkosh, WI
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Winnebago County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat, three months of cooling
Winter nights in Oshkosh average 13°F from December through February, and homes here need heat from October through May. That's 8 months of a furnace or heat pump working against real cold. Summer asks less, just June through August, with afternoons averaging around 80°F, but that still adds up to 11 months a year where the system is doing one job or the other.
A new system has to be sized for both. It also has to hold up when the weather turns rough. Winnebago County has logged 21 winter storms and 54 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 18% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. Whatever gets installed here should be able to come back on its own once the power does.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 13°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Wisconsin requires contractors to register with the state.
That registration puts the business on file with the state. It does not mean anyone tested the contractor's work or checked their skill on a gas line or a refrigerant charge. Wisconsin also does not let Winnebago County or any city add its own HVAC license on top of this. The state record is the only one that exists here.
For a furnace and AC installation, the protection that actually reaches the job comes from elsewhere. In most cities and counties here, putting in a new furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit from the local building office. An inspector looks at the finished work before it is signed off, including the gas connection, since a bad connection there is the dangerous part of the job.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs start piling up or the system can't keep up on the coldest nights anymore. A furnace that runs hard every winter for years wears out faster, and an aging system is more likely to fail on the worst night rather than a mild one. If a technician tells you the heat exchanger or the compressor is going, that's usually the point where replacing costs less over time than repairing again. An older system that's struggling is worth planning for before it forces the decision on you in the middle of winter.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are old, replacing them together makes sense, but it isn't required. A furnace and air conditioner installed at different times can still work fine as long as they're matched correctly, since the coil and blower have to fit what the new unit needs. Homes here run the furnace from October through May and the air conditioner June through August, so the furnace usually carries the heavier load and wears out first. A contractor can look at the age and condition of both and tell you whether replacing one now and planning for the other later is the better path for your house.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old equipment, sets the new furnace or air conditioner in place, and connects it to the ductwork, gas line or refrigerant lines, and electrical. For a furnace, that includes venting it correctly and checking the gas connection for a tight seal. For an air conditioner, it means connecting the outdoor unit to the indoor coil and charging the system with refrigerant. Once everything is connected, the contractor tests the system, checks airflow through the ducts, and confirms it's heating or cooling the way it should before calling the job done. What this involves in detail depends on the equipment and the house, so a contractor looking at your setup can walk you through the specifics.