AC Installation in New Iberia, LA
A new air conditioner in New Iberia will run from April through October every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Iberia Parish will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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Seven months of cooling changes what your AC needs to do
Your air conditioner runs from April through October here, seven months of the year, with summer afternoons averaging 90°F. That is a long stretch for a unit to cycle on and off, and it means the equipment you choose has more work ahead of it than in most places.
New Iberia has also seen 25 damaging wind events and 8 hail events over the past ten years, one as large as 1.5 inches. An outdoor unit sits exposed to that. Any new central air conditioner installed today has to meet a federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2, so efficiency is already built into what you can buy. The choice is about sizing it right for seven months of heat and setting it up to hold up outside.
- 7 months
- April through October, your air conditioner is on duty
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 8 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
A higher-efficiency unit would save about $30 a year to run in Iberia Parish compared with a new unit at the federal minimum.
Estimates for a typical Iberia Parish home, from EIA household energy data, Louisiana fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Louisiana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors tests contractors before it issues a license, and it keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it tells you this person or company was checked before they ever walk into your house.
In most cities and parishes, installing an air conditioner needs a permit from the local building office, along with an inspection once the work is done. That means someone besides the installer looks at what went in.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not the size of the unit you have now or a square footage chart. A contractor measures your insulation, your windows, your ceiling height, and how much shade your house gets, then works out how many BTUs your house actually loses and gains. With summer afternoons here averaging 90°F for seven months of the year, an undersized unit will run constantly and still struggle to keep up, while an oversized one cools the air fast without pulling enough moisture out, so the house feels damp. Either mistake costs you comfort. Have a contractor run the calculation for your house rather than guess from the old system.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases, replace both together. The outdoor condenser and the indoor coil are matched to work at a specific capacity and efficiency, and pairing a new condenser with an old coil usually means the system never runs the way either piece was built to run. It can also void the manufacturer's warranty on the new unit. If your indoor coil and ductwork are still in good shape and only a few years old, a contractor can tell you whether it makes sense to keep them. Otherwise, plan on replacing the pair.
- Do HVAC contractors in New Iberia need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes. Louisiana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license, issued through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, and that covers installing your air conditioner. The license belongs to the contractor, not to the specific job, so ask to see it before work starts. You'll also likely need a permit from the local building office for the installation, with an inspection once the work is done.