HVAC Installation in Wilmington, DE
A new system here will heat from October through April and cool from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers New Castle County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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Eleven months of work a year for a new system
A new furnace or heat pump in New Castle County works almost year round. Heat runs October through April, seven months, with winter nights averaging 27°F. Cooling picks up June through September, four months, with afternoons averaging 85°F. Only one month off in between.
That schedule asks a lot of the equipment you choose. More than half the homes here heat with gas, and whatever you install has to hold up through storms too. New Castle County has seen 228 damaging wind events and 11 winter storms over the past ten years, and 12% of Delaware households lost power for at least a day in 2024. Whatever gets installed should be sized and set up to handle both the daily load and the occasional bad night.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 27°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Delaware requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license comes from the Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners. Delaware tested this contractor and keeps a record of them. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it covers this installation the same way it covers every other job they take on.
For this installation, the license is what stands behind the person doing the work. It is not the only check. In most cities and counties, replacing a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit from the local building office, and the finished work gets an inspection when it is done. That inspection looks at what was actually installed in your home, separate from who installed it.
Sources: Delaware Code Online · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Replace it when repairs stop being worth it, not on a fixed schedule. If your furnace or air conditioner is breaking down most seasons, if a repair costs a large share of what a new system would, or if it is old enough that parts are getting hard to find, replacement makes more sense than another fix. Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from June through September, so the system is doing one job or the other most of the year, and a breakdown does not leave much slack. A contractor can look at the age and condition of what you have and tell you whether it is worth repairing again.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If they are close in age, replacing both together often makes sense, but it depends on the condition of each one. A furnace and air conditioner installed at the same time tend to wear out around the same time, so if one is failing the other may not be far behind. They also share the blower and ductwork, so matching the two can mean better performance than pairing an old unit with a new one. A contractor can check both and tell you whether it makes sense to do one now and plan for the other, or replace them together.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old equipment, sets the new furnace or air conditioner in place, and connects it to your ductwork, refrigerant lines, gas line or electrical circuit depending on what is being installed. They will check that the ducts are sized right for the new equipment, since a system that does not match the ductwork will not heat or cool the house evenly. Once it is connected, they test it, check refrigerant charge or gas pressure, and confirm it is running the way it should before they leave. Delaware requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license through the Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, so ask to see it before work starts.