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

AC Installation in Glennallen, AK

Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Copper River Census Area will get in touch.

Tell us about the job

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Step 1 of 3: Equipment

What kind of equipment?*

Overhead view of a gray residential air conditioning condenser unit mounted on a concrete pad beside a house with asphalt shingle roofing.

Glennallen doesn't ask much of an air conditioner

Summer afternoons here average 67°F. That's mild enough that most homes get by without cooling at all, and the ones that do install an air conditioner are asking it to work only a handful of days a year, not carry a long season.

If you install new central air, it has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2. Beyond that, the deciding factor here isn't the heat. It's sizing the system to a place that barely needs one, so it isn't running far more capacity than these summers call for.

67°F: the average summer afternoon it cools against
13.4 SEER2: the federal minimum any new unit must meet

Isometric cutaway illustration of a small house showing interior rooms, ductwork, an indoor air handler, and an outdoor condenser unit connected by lines, on a plain white background.

Your air conditioner works hardest from June through July.

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NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals

Overhead view of an outdoor AC condenser unit on a concrete pad next to a house with a dark shingle roof.

Going above the federal minimum saves little here, about $0 a year.

A new unit at the federal minimum, 13.4 SEER2$30 a year
A higher-efficiency unit$30 a year

Estimates for a typical Copper River Census Area home, from EIA household energy data, Alaska fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.

Alaska requires contractors to register with the state.

That registration puts the business on file with the state. Nobody tested the contractor's work and no license backs it up. It just means the state has a record that the business exists.

For an air conditioner installation, the check that matters here is local. Most cities and counties require a permit for this job and an inspection once it's done, and that inspection is what confirms the work was done right.

Source: Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development

What size air conditioner does my house need?: The right size depends on a load calculation, not a guess based on square footage. A contractor measures your windows, insulation and layout to find that number. Worth asking, though, whether you need central air at all here. Summer afternoons in Glennallen average 67°F, and homes in this area need cooling close to 0 months a year.
Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?: That depends on how old the indoor coil and furnace or air handler are, and whether they were matched to work with a new outdoor unit. Pairing a new condenser with an old coil can cause the system to run poorly or wear out faster. A contractor can check the age and condition of both sides before deciding. Given how little cooling homes here actually need, it is also worth asking a contractor whether replacing the outdoor unit is worth doing at all.
Do HVAC contractors in Glennallen need a state license to work on my home?: Alaska requires contractors to register with the state. Ask to see that registration before any work starts on your home.

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