HVAC Installation in Toledo, OH
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Lucas County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
What a system here has to handle
Your new system has to cover 11 months of the year. Heat runs October through May, on nights that average 22°F, and most homes here run that heat on gas. Cooling only has three months, June through August, but those afternoons average 83°F, so the system still has to be sized right for both jobs, not just one.
Lucas County has seen 91 damaging wind events and 8 winter storms over the past ten years, and across Ohio 18% of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. A furnace with a standing pilot will relight itself when the power comes back. One with electronic ignition needs the power on to run at all, which is worth knowing before the next storm knocks it out.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 22°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 83°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
In Ohio, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the counties.
Ohio has no state license for home HVAC work. Whether this contractor needs one depends on where the house sits in Lucas County, since the state leaves that rule to counties instead of setting one itself. Ohio does define what a home contractor is, and that definition requires carrying at least $250,000 in liability insurance. That is a floor for doing business, not a license, and nothing is tested to meet it.
For an installation like this one, the protection that does exist here comes from the local building office rather than from a state license. Putting in a new furnace, air conditioner or heat pump needs a permit before the work starts and an inspection once it is done in most cities and counties, and that inspection is what catches a bad gas connection or a system installed out of code.
Source: Ohio Legislative Service Commission
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Look at the age and the pattern of repairs, not just whether it still runs. Once a furnace or air conditioner breaks down every season, or a repair costs a large share of a new system, replacing it makes more sense than fixing it again. Homes here run the furnace from October through May, so a furnace that struggles late in that stretch is worth replacing before next winter rather than waiting for it to fail on a 22°F night. A contractor can look at yours and tell you which side of that line it's on.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If they're close in age, yes. The two share a blower and often the same ductwork, so an old furnace paired with a new air conditioner can leave the new unit working against the limits of the old one. Homes here need heat for 8 months and cooling for 3, so the furnace does most of the work and tends to wear out first. If your air conditioner is still young and running fine, a contractor can size a new furnace to match it instead of replacing both.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old equipment, checks the ductwork and the gas or electrical connections, and sets the new furnace, air conditioner, or both in place. They connect the refrigerant lines, gas line or wiring, and the vent or drain lines, then run the system through a full heating or cooling cycle to test it. Before they leave, they check airflow at the vents and make sure the thermostat is talking to the new equipment correctly. The exact steps depend on what's being replaced and how the old system was set up, so the contractor pricing your job will walk you through what applies to your house.