How to Choose the Right AC Size for Your Las Vegas Home

Here's something contractors don't always tell you: a brand-new $10,000 AC system can make your home miserable if it's the wrong size. And in Las Vegas, where summer temperatures sit above 110°F for weeks at a stretch, getting sizing wrong doesn't just cost you money — it means 80-degree bedrooms at midnight and a system that burns itself out in five years instead of fifteen.

Most national sizing guides were written for climates where 95°F is a hot day. We live somewhere different. The rules here are different. This guide explains exactly how AC sizing works in the Las Vegas Valley, what factors matter most in our climate, how to read contractor proposals critically, and what happens when you get it wrong in either direction.

We've been sizing and installing AC systems in Las Vegas for over a decade. The advice here reflects what we actually see in the field — not what a textbook written for Boston or Atlanta says.

How Tonnage Works (and What It Actually Means)

When a contractor tells you that you need a "3-ton system," they're not talking about weight. They're describing cooling capacity. One ton of cooling equals 12,000 BTU per hour — the amount of heat required to melt a ton of ice over 24 hours. That's the historical origin of the measurement, and it's still how the industry talks about capacity today.

So a 3-ton system delivers 36,000 BTU/hr of cooling. A 4-ton delivers 48,000 BTU/hr. A 5-ton delivers 60,000 BTU/hr. Residential systems in Las Vegas run from 1.5 tons (very small homes or condos) up to 5 tons for large single-family houses. Most Valley homes fall somewhere between 3 and 5 tons.

The key thing to understand: BTU capacity doesn't tell you anything about efficiency. A 3-ton unit with a 16 SEER rating and a 3-ton unit with a 20 SEER rating deliver the same amount of cooling. The higher-SEER unit just does it using less electricity. Size and efficiency are two different numbers that do two different jobs. Get the size wrong and efficiency becomes irrelevant — you're either not cooling your home or you're overcooling it and wasting money on a machine that's too large for the job.

The BTU Math Behind Las Vegas Homes

Here's a quick illustration of why Las Vegas needs more capacity. On a 115°F day with indoor setpoint at 75°F, the temperature differential across your home's envelope is 40°F. In Phoenix or Tucson, same scenario. In Chicago on a hot day, that differential might be 20°F. Heat moves through walls, ceilings, and windows in proportion to that differential — double the temperature gap, roughly double the heat load. That's why a 2,000 sq ft Las Vegas home needs more cooling capacity than a 2,000 sq ft home in Atlanta. The physics are different here.

Add in west-facing windows that collect five hours of direct afternoon sun at 110°F, an attic baking at 150°F overhead with only R-19 insulation between you and it, and a dark tile roof absorbing solar radiation all day — and you start to understand why national sizing charts consistently underestimate what Las Vegas homes actually need.

Why Las Vegas Is Different From Every Other Market

National HVAC guides use a lot of generalizations. "One ton per 400–600 square feet." "Use 400 square feet per ton as a starting point." These rules are calibrated for moderate climates. Use them in Las Vegas and you'll end up with an undersized system that can't keep up in July.

Here are the specific Las Vegas factors that push sizing requirements above national norms:

Outdoor Design Temperature: 115°F

ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America) publishes outdoor design temperatures for every major U.S. city. These are the temperatures that load calculations are built around — the conditions under which your system needs to maintain indoor comfort. Las Vegas's ACCA design temperature is 115°F. Compare that to Denver at 93°F, Atlanta at 95°F, or Miami at 91°F. At 115°F, the heat load through your home's shell is dramatically higher than what any of those markets experience, and your system has to be sized to handle it.

Attic Temperatures of 140–160°F

Your attic is the single biggest wildcard in Las Vegas home cooling. On a 110°F day with full sun on a dark tile roof, attic temperatures routinely hit 140–160°F. If your attic is poorly ventilated or you have less than R-38 insulation in the ceiling, that heat pours directly into your living space. Homes built before 2000 often have R-19 ceiling insulation — half of what current code requires. Those homes need significantly more cooling capacity than a newly-insulated home of the same square footage, and no amount of efficient equipment compensates for bad insulation. Before you size a new AC system, know your attic insulation R-value. It's one of the most important numbers in the whole calculation.

Long Operating Seasons and High Annual Hours

Most U.S. markets run their AC 1,200–2,000 hours per year. Las Vegas AC systems run 2,500–3,500 hours annually — some homes in the Valley hit 3,800+ hours in a hot year. Those extra hours put enormous strain on components. An undersized system running at 100% capacity for 3,000+ hours a year will fail years ahead of schedule. A correctly sized system with reasonable duty cycles will give you 15–18 years of reliable service. The operating season here typically runs from late April through early October, with July and August demanding 16–18 hours of daily runtime during heat waves.

Monsoon Season: The Humidity Wild Card

Las Vegas is a desert, but July and August bring the North American Monsoon — afternoon storms that spike humidity from typical 10–15% levels up to 50–60% or higher. During monsoon season, your AC has to remove both sensible heat (temperature) and latent heat (moisture). An oversized system that short-cycles handles neither well. A correctly sized system with adequate runtime actually wrings moisture out of the air and keeps your home comfortable through the humidity spikes that catch desert residents off guard.

Stucco Construction and Radiant Heat Gain

The overwhelming majority of Las Vegas homes are stucco-over-frame construction. Stucco has a relatively low thermal mass compared to brick or concrete, meaning it heats up fast. Combine that with large windows (common in 1990s–2000s tract homes in Summerlin and Henderson), west and south exposures, and minimal shade landscaping — and you have a structure that loads up with heat rapidly in the afternoon. Well-sited homes with good landscaping and covered patios can reduce solar heat gain significantly. East-facing main facades cool down faster in the afternoon. These factors all go into a real sizing calculation.

Las Vegas AC Sizing Table by Home Size

The table below reflects our field experience sizing systems across the Las Vegas Valley. These are Las Vegas-specific recommendations, not national averages. They assume average insulation quality (R-19 to R-30 ceiling, R-13 walls), average window area (20–25% of floor area), and typical tract home construction. Homes with significantly better or worse insulation, unusual window configurations, or high ceilings will differ.

Home Size (sq ft)	Standard Sizing (Las Vegas)	Well-Insulated Home	Older/Poorly Insulated Home	Typical Monthly Electric (July)
Under 900 sq ft	1.5–2 ton	1.5 ton	2–2.5 ton	$120–$180
900–1,200 sq ft	2–2.5 ton	2 ton	2.5–3 ton	$150–$220
1,200–1,600 sq ft	2.5–3.5 ton	2.5–3 ton	3.5–4 ton	$180–$280
1,600–2,000 sq ft	3.5–4 ton	3–3.5 ton	4–4.5 ton	$220–$340
2,000–2,500 sq ft	4–5 ton	3.5–4 ton	4.5–5 ton	$280–$420
2,500–3,200 sq ft	5 ton (or dual system)	4.5–5 ton	5 ton + supplemental	$360–$540
3,200+ sq ft	Dual system (2 × 3–4 ton)	Dual system	Dual system	$450–$700+

A few important caveats on this table. First, it shows ranges, not exact numbers — because exact numbers require a Manual J calculation. Second, the "well-insulated" column assumes R-38+ ceiling insulation, low-E windows, and minimal west-facing glass. If your home has those features, you may genuinely need less capacity. Third, "older/poorly insulated" means pre-2000 construction with original insulation, single-pane windows, or significant west and south window exposure. And fourth, two-story homes generally fall in the higher end of each range — we address that specifically in the section below.

For a complete breakdown of installation costs by system size, see our Las Vegas AC replacement cost guide. And if you're trying to calculate potential energy savings from a correctly-sized, higher-efficiency system, our energy savings calculator can help you model different scenarios.

The Factors That Change Your Sizing Calculation

Square footage is only one input into AC sizing. A real load calculation accounts for every factor that affects how much heat enters your home and how hard your system has to work to remove it. Here are the major variables, and how each one affects the outcome.

Insulation Quality and R-Value

Ceiling insulation has more impact on your cooling load in Las Vegas than any other single factor. The ceiling is your primary barrier against that 150°F attic. Current Nevada energy code requires R-38 in attic/ceilings. Many pre-2000 homes have R-19 or less — half the protection. A 2,000 sq ft home with R-19 ceiling insulation may need a full ton more cooling capacity than the same home upgraded to R-49. Wall insulation matters too, but less dramatically since walls don't face that same extreme heat source that the attic does.

Before you size a new system, invest in an attic inspection. If you're sitting on inadequate insulation, adding R-value is often a better first dollar spent than oversizing your AC. Upgrading from R-19 to R-49 in a 2,000 sq ft home costs $1,500–$3,000 and can reduce your cooling load by 15–20%. That translates directly into lower equipment costs, lower operating costs, and longer equipment life.

Window Area, Orientation, and Glazing Type

Windows are your home's biggest source of solar heat gain. A west-facing single-pane window at 4 PM in July generates roughly 200–300 BTU/hr of heat per square foot. Multiply that across a wall of windows — common in 1990s–2000s homes with great sunset views — and you're looking at a load that can push your sizing up by half a ton or more.

Low-E glass dramatically reduces solar heat gain. If your home has older clear-glass windows in west or south exposures, that's a real factor in your sizing. Exterior shading (deep overhangs, patio covers, mature trees on the west side) also reduces this load significantly. These aren't things a contractor can change when sizing your AC, but they're things you can change before the next system replacement to reduce your sizing requirement and operating cost.

Ceiling Height

Standard 8-foot ceilings are assumed in most sizing rules. Vaulted ceilings, 10-foot ceilings, or great rooms with two-story open spaces dramatically increase the volume of air that needs to be cooled. A great room with 16-foot ceilings has twice the air volume of the same footprint with 8-foot ceilings — and significantly more glass and surface area to heat up. Custom homes and higher-end tract homes in areas like Summerlin or Green Valley often have significant ceiling height variations that need to be accounted for in any serious sizing calculation.

Home Orientation and Sun Exposure

A home with its main glass exposure on the east side will cool down faster in the afternoon. A home with south- or west-facing primary windows will be fighting solar load during the hottest part of the day. In Las Vegas tract development, home orientation is often determined by lot layout rather than energy efficiency — meaning many Valley homes ended up with their worst-case window exposure to the west or southwest.

If your home gets hammered by afternoon sun on its long axis, a good contractor will account for this in the load calculation. If they're just running a square footage number, they're not accounting for it.

Duct System Condition and Leakage

Duct leakage is one of the most common hidden factors that drives AC sizing requirements up. When supply air leaks into your 150°F attic before reaching your living space, that conditioned air is gone — wasted. When return air draws hot attic air in through leaky connections, your system has to work harder to maintain temperature. A home with 25–30% duct leakage is functionally a much larger house from a cooling standpoint. Fixing duct leaks can shift your sizing recommendation down by half a ton or more. Check with our ductwork specialists if you suspect your ducts are part of the problem — it's worth knowing before you size a new system. Our guide to HVAC replacement in Las Vegas covers the duct inspection process in detail.

Number of Occupants and Internal Heat Sources

Every person in your home generates approximately 250–300 BTU/hr of body heat. A family of five adds more load than a couple. A home office full of computers and servers, a large kitchen with professional appliances, a home theater — all of these generate heat that your AC has to remove. A Manual J calculation factors in occupancy and internal loads. A square-footage rule of thumb does not.

What Happens When Your AC Is Too Big

More cooling capacity sounds like more safety margin. It isn't. An oversized system causes real, measurable problems — and in Las Vegas, some of those problems are made worse by our specific climate.

Short Cycling

An oversized system cools your home so quickly that it satisfies the thermostat before completing a full operating cycle. Instead of running for 15–20 minutes per cycle and gradually conditioning the air, it blasts on, hits setpoint in 5–7 minutes, and shuts off. Then the temperature rebounds and it blasts on again. This is called short cycling, and it's brutal on the equipment. Every start-up cycle is the hardest moment for your compressor — it draws the most current, generates the most heat, and experiences the most mechanical stress at startup. A system that short-cycles 8–10 times per hour will fail in 5–7 years. One that runs proper full cycles will give you 15–18 years.

Humidity Problems During Monsoon Season

Your evaporator coil removes moisture from the air through condensation — but only when it runs long enough for the coil to get fully cold and for the humid air to linger on the cold surface long enough to shed moisture. An oversized system that short-cycles never completes this dehumidification process. During Las Vegas monsoon season, when humidity spikes from 10% to 55%+ in a matter of hours, a short-cycling oversized system leaves your home feeling clammy and muggy even at 74°F. You'll find yourself lowering the thermostat to feel comfortable, which increases your energy bill without solving the real problem. A correctly-sized system running proper cycles handles monsoon humidity well. An oversized one doesn't.

Higher Energy Bills

Short cycling is inefficient. A system that starts and stops constantly uses more electricity than one that runs smooth, steady cycles. Compressors are most efficient at steady-state operation — the inefficiency of repeated startups adds up over 3,000+ hours of annual runtime. You bought a bigger, more expensive system and you're paying more to run it. That's the oversizing trap.

Uneven Temperature Distribution

An oversized system that blasts and shuts off doesn't give the air in your home time to mix and equalize. You'll have cold spots near supply registers and warm spots away from them. The far bedrooms stay warm. The room with the thermostat gets ice cold. Your HVAC system is designed to distribute conditioned air throughout the home over a reasonable runtime — cut that runtime short and distribution suffers.

If you're experiencing any of these symptoms with your current system, it's worth checking whether oversizing is the culprit before committing to another repair or replacement. Our guide on whether to repair or replace your AC walks through that decision in detail.

What Happens When Your AC Is Too Small

On the other side of the equation, an undersized system has its own set of problems — and in Las Vegas, these problems manifest in a particularly unforgiving way.

It Can't Keep Up in July

A system that's half a ton too small might keep pace with your cooling load on a 100°F spring day. But Las Vegas in July means 115°F+ for days at a stretch. At that point, the system is running at 100% capacity continuously — what technicians call "100% duty cycle" — and still can't maintain your setpoint. You'll be at 80–82°F inside with the thermostat set to 75°F and a system that never turns off. Meanwhile, your energy bill is enormous because you're running the system 18+ hours a day at maximum capacity.

Accelerated Wear and Premature Failure

A system running at 100% duty cycle for weeks at a time is not operating the way it was designed. The compressor gets hot. Refrigerant temperatures climb. The condenser coil can't reject heat fast enough. In extreme heat, an undersized system can experience high-pressure lockouts, refrigerant overheating, and compressor failure. A system that should last 15 years might fail in 8–10 if it's undersized for the climate it's working in.

Higher Long-Term Operating Costs

A system running 18+ hours per day in July is consuming significantly more electricity than one that runs 12–14 hours in normal cycles. Use our energy savings calculator to see what a correctly-sized, efficient system could save you in annual operating costs. The savings over a 15-year system life often more than cover the difference in upfront installation cost.

If you're already seeing signs that your current system isn't keeping up — indoor temperatures that can't stay within 3–4°F of setpoint on hot days, constant runtime, unusually high utility bills — read our guide on signs you need a new AC in Las Vegas. It covers when marginal performance means it's time to replace.

Manual J Load Calculations: What They Are and Why You Need One

A Manual J calculation is the ACCA-standardized method for calculating the exact heating and cooling load of a residential building. It's the industry standard, it's required by building code in Nevada for new construction and permitted HVAC replacements, and it's the only scientifically valid way to size an AC system for a specific home.

A properly performed Manual J accounts for:

• Floor area, ceiling height, and total conditioned volume
• Insulation R-values in walls, ceilings, and floors
• Window area, U-factor, and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) by orientation
• Infiltration rate (how leaky the building envelope is)
• Local outdoor design temperatures (115°F for Las Vegas)
• Internal heat gains from occupants, lighting, and appliances
• Duct location and estimated leakage (supply into unconditioned attic, etc.)

The output is a calculated peak cooling load in BTU/hr — and from that, you select the system tonnage that best matches that load. A properly-sized system's rated capacity should match the calculated load within roughly 15%.

What to Ask Your Contractor

When getting quotes for AC installation or AC replacement, ask every contractor these questions:

"Will you perform a Manual J load calculation before recommending a system size?" If the answer is anything other than yes, that's a red flag. "Can you provide the load calculation report with your proposal?" A real Manual J produces a multi-page report with inputs and outputs — ask to see it. "What inputs are you using for my attic insulation and window type?" If they don't know the answer, they haven't inspected your home properly.

Any contractor who quotes a replacement based purely on "it's a 3-ton house, we'll put in a 3-ton" — without inspecting insulation, ductwork, and window conditions — is not giving you a defensible sizing recommendation. They're giving you a guess based on what was there before. In Las Vegas, that's not acceptable.

The ACCA Manual J standard is the official reference for residential load calculations. The U.S. Department of Energy also recommends Manual J as the required basis for any proper AC sizing. The EPA's Energy Star program requires contractor participation in proper sizing protocols for Energy Star certified installations.

Two-Story Homes and Multi-Zone Considerations

Two-story homes in Las Vegas — and there are tens of thousands of them in Summerlin, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and the surrounding subdivisions — present a specific sizing challenge that single-story homes don't have.

Heat rises. The second floor of a two-story Las Vegas home accumulates heat from three sources that the downstairs doesn't deal with in the same way: solar heat through the roof, heat conducted through the ceiling from the attic above, and convected heat rising from the first floor. In summer, the upstairs of a two-story home can run 10–20°F warmer than the downstairs even with the AC running. You can size a system that keeps the downstairs comfortable and leave the upstairs unlivable, or size for the upstairs and freeze the downstairs. Neither is acceptable.

Single System Solutions

The most common approach in Las Vegas tract homes is a single system with a thermostat on the first floor. This works reasonably well if the duct system is well-designed and balanced — with more supply airflow directed to the upstairs zones. Proper duct design (using static pressure calculations and balanced airflow) can significantly reduce the upstairs-downstairs temperature differential. The air handler location also matters — most Las Vegas two-story homes have the air handler in the garage or an upstairs closet, and the location affects how well it delivers to different floors.

Dual-System Solutions

Homes over 2,500 square feet often benefit from two separate systems — one for each floor. This is common in larger custom homes and newer construction in Summerlin and Henderson. Dual systems allow independent temperature control for each floor, reduce total tonnage per system (which improves cycling efficiency), and allow one system to keep running if the other requires service. The upfront cost is higher, but for a larger home it's often the right call for both comfort and longevity.

Zoning Systems

A zoning system uses motorized dampers in the ductwork and multiple thermostats to independently control airflow to different areas of the home from a single AC system. A well-implemented zone system can solve the two-story temperature differential problem without requiring a full dual-system installation. However, zoning adds complexity and cost, and requires careful duct design to avoid static pressure problems. It's not a universal fix — sometimes the right answer is two systems, not one system with dampers. We cover this in detail in our HVAC buying guide.

SEER Rating vs. Size: Which Matters More?

When homeowners are shopping for a new AC system, they often focus heavily on SEER rating — the efficiency metric — while treating size as a secondary consideration. That's backwards. Size is the primary decision. Efficiency is the secondary one.

A wrong-sized system with a 20 SEER rating will be uncomfortable and expensive to operate. A correctly-sized system with a 16 SEER rating will be more comfortable and may be cheaper to run, because it's actually doing the right job efficiently instead of doing the wrong job inefficiently.

That said, once you've established the correct size, efficiency absolutely matters in Las Vegas. At 3,000+ annual hours of runtime, the difference between a 16 SEER and a 20 SEER system is real money. Here's what the numbers look like for a typical 3-ton system:

SEER Rating	Annual kWh (3-ton, Las Vegas)	Annual Cost (at $0.12/kWh)	vs. 16 SEER (annual)	Payback on Premium
16 SEER (minimum)	~3,750 kWh	~$450	—	—
18 SEER	~3,333 kWh	~$400	~$50/yr savings	10–14 years
20 SEER	~3,000 kWh	~$360	~$90/yr savings	8–12 years
22 SEER	~2,727 kWh	~$327	~$123/yr savings	7–10 years
26 SEER	~2,308 kWh	~$277	~$173/yr savings	6–9 years

These are simplified estimates — actual savings depend on your home's specific load, utility rate, and system runtime. But they illustrate the principle: higher efficiency pays back over a 15-year system life, especially in Las Vegas where you're running the system so many hours per year.

High-efficiency systems with variable-speed motors and two-stage or modulating compressors have an additional comfort advantage: they modulate their output based on actual demand rather than running at 100% or 0%. On a mild spring day when your cooling load is light, a variable-speed system runs at 30–40% capacity — quietly, efficiently, and with excellent humidity control. On a 116°F July afternoon, it ramps up to 100%. This dynamic range is what makes them comfortable across the full Las Vegas climate range, not just during peak summer heat.

Check our pricing guide for current cost ranges on different efficiency tiers, and see what federal tax credits are available for qualifying high-efficiency systems — in 2026, the 25C credit covers up to $2,000 for qualifying AC systems and heat pumps. NV Energy also offers rebates up to $2,000 for qualifying equipment. HVAC financing options can help spread the cost of a premium system over time.

How Your Ductwork Affects the Right Size

Your ductwork is the delivery system for your AC. A new, correctly-sized, high-efficiency AC system connected to a leaky, undersized, or poorly-designed duct system will underperform. The equipment and the duct system are a matched pair — evaluate them together.

Duct Leakage

Nevada building code requires duct leakage of no more than 6% for new construction. Older Las Vegas homes — particularly those built in the 1990s when duct sealing practices were inconsistent — commonly have 15–30% duct leakage. Supply air leaking into the attic before it reaches your rooms means your AC has to work that much harder to maintain indoor temperature. From a sizing standpoint, severe duct leakage can push your effective load up by half a ton or more. Duct sealing (professionally applied mastic or aerosol sealing) before system replacement can reduce your required system size, lower your operating costs, and improve comfort distribution. Check our ductwork page for details on duct sealing and repair.

Duct Sizing and Static Pressure

Undersized duct runs restrict airflow and build static pressure in the system. High static pressure reduces the airflow through your system, which reduces cooling capacity and can damage your air handler's blower motor over time. A common scenario in Las Vegas homes: a 4-ton system installed in a home with duct runs sized for 3-ton airflow. The system looks right on paper but can't move enough air to deliver its rated capacity. The result is poor comfort even though the tonnage is correct.

A proper system commissioning — which TCC performs on every installation — includes measuring external static pressure and verifying that actual system airflow matches the equipment's rated airflow. If the ducts are restricting flow, we identify it before signing off on the job. This is part of what separates a professional installation from a box-swap. Read more about what proper installation looks like in our Las Vegas HVAC replacement guide.

Duct Location and Thermal Conditions

Las Vegas ductwork is almost always in the attic. In an attic that hits 150°F, uninsulated or under-insulated ductwork loses a significant amount of its cooling capacity between the air handler and the supply register. Properly insulated duct runs (R-8 minimum, R-12 preferred) dramatically reduce this thermal loss. If you're replacing a system in a home with original flex duct from the 1990s, it's worth checking both the insulation rating and the physical condition of the duct — old flex duct can sag, kink, and compress, all of which reduce airflow. See indoor air quality for how duct condition also affects air purity in your home.

Red Flags in Contractor Sizing Proposals

Most HVAC contractors in Las Vegas are honest, licensed professionals doing good work. But the AC replacement market also attracts shortcuts, and sizing is one place where shortcuts hurt homeowners most. Here are the warning signs to watch for.

Sizing Based Solely on Square Footage

"Your home is 2,000 square feet, so you need a 4-ton unit." That's not sizing — that's a guess dressed up as expertise. Square footage is one input. In Las Vegas, insulation, window area, orientation, duct condition, and attic conditions can shift the correct size up or down by a full ton. Demand a Manual J calculation.

"We'll Just Match What You Have"

Your previous system might have been wrong-sized from day one. Or it might have been sized for a different duct system, before renovations changed your home's square footage, or before you added insulation. "Match the old unit" is not a sizing methodology. If a contractor proposes to replace your 3-ton system with another 3-ton without performing a load calculation, ask why.

No Discussion of Ductwork

A proposal that addresses only the outdoor unit and indoor coil without evaluating the duct system is incomplete. In Las Vegas, duct condition is frequently a limiting factor in system performance. Any thorough proposal should address whether the existing ductwork is adequate for the proposed system — and if it isn't, what that work involves and what it costs. Our AC installation process always includes a duct evaluation.

Pressure to Upsize "Just to Be Safe"

If a contractor recommends going up a size "just to make sure you stay comfortable," push back and ask to see the load calculation that supports that recommendation. Bigger is not safer in HVAC. Oversizing creates real problems. If a contractor can't show you a Manual J calculation that supports their sizing recommendation, they're guessing.

No Post-Installation Commissioning

A properly sized and installed system requires commissioning after installation — verifying refrigerant charge, measuring airflow, checking static pressure, and confirming the system achieves its rated capacity. If a proposal doesn't mention commissioning, ask about it. A contractor who isn't measuring refrigerant charge and airflow after installation isn't confirming the system is actually performing to spec. This is particularly important for high-HVAC efficiency equipment where performance is highly sensitive to correct refrigerant charge and airflow.

For more on how to evaluate HVAC contractors, see our guide on the HVAC buying guide for Las Vegas homeowners. And if you're weighing whether your current system is worth repairing versus replacing, our repair or replace calculator can help you think through the financial decision. For scheduled maintenance on your current system, AC maintenance appointments are available year-round — and a well-maintained system runs more efficiently and gives you better data on its actual performance before you make a replacement decision.

The right thermostat also plays a role in getting the most from a correctly-sized system — a smart thermostat with proper scheduling can reduce runtime by 10–15% without sacrificing comfort. And our energy saving tips guide covers the broader picture of reducing your HVAC and utility costs year-round.

Need HVAC Service in Las Vegas?

The Cooling Company provides expert HVAC service throughout Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas. Our licensed technicians deliver honest assessments, upfront pricing, and reliable results.

Call (702) 567-0707 or visit AC installation, maintenance, heating, or repair for details.

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