Tell us about the job
Takes about a minute. No obligation.
Getting the sizing right before a contractor pulls the first wire is the decision that shapes everything downstream in Caddo Parish. Homes in Caddo Parish, LA run cooling about five months a year, from May through September. The compressor starts and stops through all of those months, and an undersized unit runs longer cycles, building heat and wear on the contactor and the condenser fan with every one of them. A system installed without a proper load calculation has no idle season long enough to hide that stress. By the time the original unit fails, the quality of that first install is already written into what the contractor finds inside the cabinet.
Ductwork laid in for an earlier generation of equipment was sized around load calculations and refrigerant types that no longer apply, and when a contractor fits a new central AC system to it, the duct layout either carries the new unit or it does not. Half the homes in Caddo Parish, Louisiana were built in 1975 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year). That share of the housing stock was built before the equipment now considered standard, which means the gap between what the ducts were designed for and what a new system needs is the first thing a contractor opens walls or crawlspaces to assess. The electrical service gets the same look, since panel capacity for a modern condenser is not a detail that can be assumed. What the house already contains sets the scope before any equipment decision is made.
What Gets Installed With a New Central AC
The outdoor condenser unit sits on a pad beside the house and holds the compressor and condenser coil, the two components that do the heaviest work in the system. Inside the home, the air handler mounts in a closet, attic, or utility room and contains the evaporator coil and the blower that moves air through the house.
A copper refrigerant line set runs between the outdoor unit and the air handler, connecting the two halves of the system. A thermostat goes on an interior wall and gives the homeowner control over when the system runs and what temperature it holds.
The drawing shows a typical layout, and a licensed contractor determines exactly what applies to this house.
Get matched in Caddo ParishCaddo Parish, by the numbers
419 severe weather events were recorded in Caddo Parish, Louisiana between 2015 and 2024.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, bulk CSV export, events 2015-01-01 through 2024-12-31.Half the homes in Caddo Parish, Louisiana were built in 1975 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesCaddo Parish, Louisiana holds 112,612 housing units (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesOwners occupy 60.2% of the occupied homes in Caddo Parish, Louisiana (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesRules & Standards Behind AC Installation in Caddo Parish, Louisiana9 sourced rules and standards
What the Installation Actually Looks Like
Split-system central air conditioners rated below 45,000 Btu/h manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
Split-system central air conditioners rated at or above 45,000 Btu/h manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
Split-system central air conditioners manufactured between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2022 had to meet 13 SEER, the metric that preceded SEER2.
Single-package central air conditioners manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2.
Space-constrained central air conditioners manufactured on or after January 1, 2023 must meet a federal minimum of 11.7 SEER2.
Federal efficiency standards for split-system central air conditioners and heat pumps are set on each certified combination of outdoor unit and indoor coil rather than on the outdoor unit alone.
Residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump systems assembled in the field, including mini-splits and unitary systems, may not be installed on or after January 1, 2025 using a refrigerant with a global warming potential above 700.
A field-assembled system whose specified components were all manufactured or imported before January 1, 2025 carries no installation compliance date under the refrigerant restrictions and may still be installed.
Licensing Rules for Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana requires an active state contractor licence: it is unlawful to engage or continue in the business of contracting, or to act as a contractor, without one.
Severe Weather Events in Caddo Parish
Weather in this part of Louisiana puts real demands on cooling equipment, and those demands shape what a system needs to handle over its life. A central AC installation sized and built for local conditions is a different job than one done anywhere else.
419 severe weather events, 2015–2024. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database.