AC Installation in Great Falls, MT
A new air conditioner in Great Falls will run from July through July every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Cascade County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
One month of real heat, and hail every year
Great Falls doesn't ask much of an air conditioner in terms of season length. Summer afternoons average 78°F, and July is really the only month cooling matters here. That's a short run compared to most places, but it still needs to work when it's on.
What this area asks more of is durability. Cascade County has logged 55 hail events and 134 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 3 inches recorded. An outdoor condenser sits exposed to that, so the coil and cabinet take the brunt of any storm that comes through. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal efficiency minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
- 1 months
- July through July, your air conditioner is on duty
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 55 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 Cascade County home, from EIA household energy data, Montana fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Montana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to a single job, so the same license covers this installation and whatever else that contractor takes on. Montana carves out an exception for small work. Anything under $2,500 does not require a licensed contractor. An air conditioner installation runs well past that line, so this is licensed work.
Because Montana licenses at the contractor level, that license is what stands behind the person doing this job. It is not a separate check on the install itself. That check comes from the local building office. Most cities and counties in Montana require a permit for an air conditioner installation and an inspection once it's done, and that inspection is what confirms the work was done right.
Source: Montana Legislature
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- It depends on your home's square footage, its insulation, how many windows it has and which way they face, and how many people live there. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not by square footage alone. Two houses the same size can need different sized units if one has more shade or better insulation. Getting the size right matters here too, since summer afternoons average 78°F, and a unit that's too big will cool the air fast but leave the house feeling damp because it shuts off before it pulls enough moisture out.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- In most cases replacing just the outdoor unit is not a good idea. The outdoor unit and the indoor coil are matched to work together, and pairing an old coil with a new outdoor unit often means the system runs at lower efficiency than either part is rated for and can shorten its life. If your outdoor unit and indoor coil are close in age, replacing both at once gets you a matched system built to the current 13.4 SEER2 minimum. A contractor can look at the age and condition of what you have and tell you whether the coil is worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in Great Falls need a state license to work on my home?
- Yes, for a job like installing an air conditioner. Montana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the Department of Labor and Industry, and the license is tied to the contractor rather than to each individual job. Small jobs are exempt from that rule, but installing a central air conditioner falls outside that exemption, so this job needs a licensed contractor. You will also need a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done.