AC — Houston, TX

AC in Houston: what to know

Texas summers are long and intensely hot across the entire state, so a home's air conditioning carries an extended cooling load for much of the year — often running daily for many months rather than a short season. That sustained demand wears out compressors, condenser coils, and refrigerant charge faster than in milder climates, and it makes correct sizing critical: an undersized system never keeps up in peak heat, while an oversized one short-cycles and does a poor job of pulling humidity out of the air. In Texas, air conditioning and refrigeration work is a licensed trade — contractors must hold a TDLR Air Conditioning & Refrigeration (ACR) license, Class A or B — which gives you a real credential to verify before anyone touches the system.

What affects the cost

• Whether it's a repair or a full replacement, and if a replacement covers only the outdoor condenser or the matched indoor coil and air handler too — the two are sized and paired as a set.
• The cooling capacity (tonnage) the home needs and the efficiency rating (SEER2) of the equipment you choose.
• Refrigerant type and charge — newer systems use R-410A while older ones may still run phased-out R-22 — and, on a low system, finding and fixing the leak before recharging rather than just topping it off.
• The specific failed part: a capacitor, contactor, or fan motor is a modest fix, while the compressor is the most expensive component to replace.
• Ductwork and airflow — leaky, undersized, or poorly sealed ducts hurt cooling and may need repair or resizing for a new system to perform.
• Installation labor and access — an attic vs. closet air handler, electrical work, and city-by-city permit requirements.

How to choose a AC contractor

• Verify the contractor holds a current TDLR Air Conditioning & Refrigeration (ACR) license (Class A or B); you can look up the license on the TDLR website before hiring.
• For a replacement, ask for a load calculation (Manual J) rather than just matching the old unit's size, so the system is right-sized for the home instead of guessed.
• Get an itemized written estimate that separates diagnosis, parts, refrigerant, and labor — and on a repair, insist they find the cause of a refrigerant leak before you pay to recharge.
• Confirm the contractor carries general liability insurance, and ask about both the workmanship/labor warranty and the manufacturer's parts warranty (which often requires registering the equipment).
• Be cautious when a whole-system replacement is pushed for what may be a repairable problem; get a second opinion on any big-ticket compressor or full-replacement recommendation.