HVAC Installation in Tampa, FL
A new system here will heat from December through January and cool from March through November every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Hillsborough County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of the year, your system is working
In Hillsborough County, cooling season runs March through November, 9 months of your air conditioner working against afternoons that average 91°F. Heat gets its real use in December and January, when nights average 52°F. Between the two, your system covers 11 months of the year.
A new system here has to hold up under long cooling loads more than deep cold, and most homes here heat with electricity, so the same equipment often handles both jobs. Storms are part of the picture too. Hillsborough County has seen 63 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in 2024, 38% of Florida households lost power for 24 hours or more at some point. Installation should account for that along with the heat and the cold.
- 2 months
- December through January, your system heats
- 9 months
- March through November, it cools
- 52°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Florida requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Florida licenses HVAC contractors through the Construction Industry Licensing Board. The license covers the contractor, not each job, so the same license applies to this installation and every other job that contractor takes on. It means the state tested this contractor and keeps a record of them before they ever get to your house.
For this installation, that license is what stands behind the work. In most cities and counties, including here, replacing a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump also needs a permit from the local building office, and the finished job gets inspected once it's done. That inspection is separate from the state license. It checks the installation itself, in your home, not the contractor's record.
Sources: Florida Legislature · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs start happening more often, or when a contractor quotes a major repair on a unit that is already old. At that point the cost of fixing it keeps competing with the cost of a new one, and the new one comes with a warranty the old one no longer has. Homes here run the air conditioner nine months a year, March through November, so a system on its way out means real discomfort for most of the year. A contractor can look at the age and condition of your equipment and tell you whether it is worth repairing again.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If they are close in age, yes, it is worth doing together. Furnaces and air conditioners installed at the same time tend to wear out around the same time, so replacing one now often means the other is not far behind. Doing both at once also means the whole system is matched and set up together, rather than pairing new equipment with an aging part it has to work with. If one is much newer than the other, there is no reason to replace the one that still has years left. A contractor can look at both and tell you where each one actually stands.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor first removes the old equipment, then sets the new furnace or air handler and outdoor condenser in place. They connect the ductwork, refrigerant lines, and electrical wiring, then check that the refrigerant charge matches what the new unit needs. Once everything is connected, they run the system through a full cycle, heating and cooling, to confirm it reaches the right temperatures and the airflow through the ducts is correct. Florida requires the contractor doing this work to hold a state license issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board, so it is worth confirming that before work starts.