Takes about a minute. No obligation.
Texas households paid 14.94 cents per kilowatthour in 2024. A lower SEER2 rating means the system pulls more power to produce the same cooling, and that gap shows up on every bill it runs through, not just one or two. A new install is the point to get this right, since the rating you choose now is what you'll be paying against for years. Ask a contractor what SEER2 rating makes sense for this house and this budget before deciding.
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
The old condenser and coil don't just sit there once the new system goes in.
A contractor disconnects the refrigerant lines and electrical, then hauls the old unit away as part of the install.
Plano sits in climate zone 3A, warm and humid with a long stretch of cooling and only a short mild winter. Texas falls under the Southeast region for federal efficiency rules, and that region's minimum runs higher than what the rest of the country requires. A split-system air conditioner installed here has to hit at least 14.3 SEER2 if it's rated below 45,000 Btu/h, or 13.8 SEER2 at or above that size. That's the floor, not a target, so whatever gets sized for this house has to clear it before it can legally go in. A federal tax credit is available on top of that, for equipment that qualifies.
Close to half of homes in Collin County heat with electricity, and gas covers most of the rest. Both pair with central air, so the AC side of this install stands on its own, sized for this house rather than whatever heats it. A contractor can walk through what fits before the old system comes out.
Find a contractorSix months of cooling a year, with afternoons averaging 93°F through June, July and August. That's the load a new system sits under here, season after season, not just a few weeks of heat. The compressor runs longer to hold a setpoint against that kind of heat, and it does that from May through October. A unit sized too small for this house will run close to constant trying to keep up, and that wears it down sooner. Sizing this right from the start matters more here than in a milder climate, and it's worth asking a contractor to size against this heat specifically, not a national average.
A contractor should walk the house room by room and run a load calculation, not quote a system off square footage or match whatever the old unit was. Window placement, ceiling height, and how the rooms sit all change what size system a house actually needs. If a contractor gives a number without walking through the house first, ask how they got it.
A new condenser only cools as well as the ducts it's connected to. Leaks, crushed runs, or ducts sized for a different system hold back even a well matched unit. Ask whether the ductwork gets inspected as part of the quote, and what it would take to seal or resize anything that won't carry the new system's airflow.
Estimates for a typical Collin County home, from EIA household energy data, Texas fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Installation day starts with a walkthrough, confirming the plan matches the house before anything gets disconnected. The old system comes out first, refrigerant recovered, lines drained, then the new line set and pad go in if the condenser is moving to a better spot. Setting the condenser and connecting the lines takes a good part of the day by itself, and that's before the indoor coil and air handler get tied in. Lines get brazed, pressure tested, then pulled into a vacuum to clear out moisture and air before any refrigerant goes back in. Skipping that step is what leads to a system that runs short on charge from week one. Once it's charged, a contractor checks airflow at the vents, checks the refrigerant levels against the manufacturer's spec, and runs the system through a full cycle before calling it done.
