HVAC Installation in Lake Charles, LA
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from April through October every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Calcasieu Parish will get in touch.
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A system that works almost every month of the year
Cooling runs April through October here, seven months of afternoons near 91°F. Heat comes on for the other five, through nights that average 44°F. That leaves only a handful of days when a system in Calcasieu Parish gets to rest, so both sides of it, the compressor and the burner or heat strip, earn their keep every year.
Most homes here heat with electricity, which means the outdoor unit is working in summer heat and doing double duty in winter too. A new system installed here has to be sized and matched for both jobs, not just the one you're thinking about today. And with 77 damaging wind events recorded here over the past ten years, and about half of Louisiana households losing power for a day or more in 2024, it's worth asking your contractor how the system you choose holds up when the power goes out and comes back on.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 44°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Louisiana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors is the body that tests and records HVAC contractors before they can take this kind of job. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single installation, so it travels with them from one job to the next rather than being issued fresh each time.
For a heating and cooling system installation, that state license is what stands behind the person doing the work. It does not replace the local permit and inspection. In most cities and parishes here, putting in a new furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit from the local building office, and an inspector checks the finished work before it is considered done.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs start happening every year or the system can no longer keep up on the hottest afternoons or the coldest nights. An air conditioner or furnace working that hard is usually near the end of its life, and a contractor can tell you whether the coil, the compressor or the heat exchanger has worn out enough to make replacement the better call. If your system is down for days at a time or the repair bill keeps climbing, that's usually the sign. Homes here need cooling from April through October and heat from November through March, so a system that struggles gets little rest either way.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are old, yes. Your furnace and air conditioner share a blower and often a coil, so replacing one and leaving the other means matching new equipment to a part that's already worn. A mismatched system can run less efficiently and wear out sooner. If only one has failed and the other is still fairly new, a contractor can tell you whether it's worth pairing them now or waiting.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old furnace or air handler and condenser, then sets the new equipment in place and connects it to the ductwork, the refrigerant lines, the gas line or electrical circuit, and the thermostat. Once it's running, they check the refrigerant charge, the airflow and the temperature difference across the system to confirm it's working the way it should. Replacing a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit from the local building office in most cities, along with an inspection when the work is finished. Louisiana also requires the contractor doing the work to hold a state HVAC license.