HVAC Installation in Nantucket, MA
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from July through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Nantucket County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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Nantucket asks for ten months of work a year
Winter nights here average 28°F from December through February, and homes need heat from October through May. That's eight months the furnace or heat pump has to work, then July and August come with afternoons averaging 74°F and the system switches to cooling. Only two months a year does the house ask for nothing at all.
Storms are part of owning a home here. Nantucket has seen 7 winter storms and 60 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in 2024, 10% of Massachusetts households went at least 24 hours without power. A system installed here should be sized for a long heating season and a short, real cooling season, and it should come back on its own once the power does.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 74°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs get frequent, the unit is old, or it can't keep up anymore. A furnace that needs a new part every winter is telling you something, especially with 8 months of heating season here. Rising energy bills without any change in how you use the system are another sign the equipment is losing efficiency. If a contractor tells you the cost to repair is close to the cost to replace, replacing usually makes more sense at that point.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If they're close in age, yes, it often makes sense to do both at once. A furnace and air conditioner installed together are matched to work with each other, and a contractor only has to open up the ductwork and electrical once instead of twice. If your furnace is old and your air conditioner still has years left, though, there's no reason to replace a system that's still working. A contractor can look at the age and condition of each and tell you whether pairing the work makes sense for your house.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old equipment, sets the new furnace and or air conditioner in place, and connects it to your ductwork, gas or electric line, and thermostat. They'll check the ducts for leaks or damage while they're in there, since air moving through a bad duct run wastes whatever the new equipment is producing. Once it's connected, they test the system to make sure it's heating or cooling correctly and check the airflow at the vents. The exact steps depend on what you're replacing and the layout of your house, so a contractor can walk you through what your job will involve.