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Sizing a central AC for Franklin County means working from what the climate here actually asks of equipment, not from a generic table. 111 severe weather events were recorded in Franklin County, Pennsylvania between 2015 and 2024. At roughly that rate, severe weather is a standing feature of operating conditions in this county, and a contractor quoting an installation has to treat it as such. A unit specified without that load in mind gets pushed harder than it was sized for, and the compressor and refrigerant circuit carry that gap every summer it runs.
Ductwork laid for an older system was sized to move air for that system, and a new central AC unit does not simply inherit what is already there. Half the homes in Franklin County, Pennsylvania were built in 1978 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year). A contractor assessing an installation in stock like this pulls back access panels to check trunk dimensions, branch runs, and return paths before anything else on the job gets priced, because a duct system that cannot carry the airflow a new unit demands will undermine it regardless of the equipment selected.
What Gets Installed With a New Central AC
The outdoor unit sits on a concrete pad beside the house and holds the compressor and condenser coil, the two components that shed heat outside. Inside, the air handler mounts in a utility space, basement, or closet and contains the evaporator coil and blower that move conditioned air through the home.
A contractor also installs the refrigerant lines that run between the indoor and outdoor units, along with the copper tubing and insulation that connect them through the wall. The thermostat goes on an interior wall where it reads the air temperature and tells the system when to run.
The drawing shows the general layout of a central AC system, and a licensed contractor determines what that means for this particular house.
Find a contractor in Franklin CountyFranklin County, by the numbers
111 severe weather events were recorded in Franklin County, Pennsylvania 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 Franklin County, Pennsylvania were built in 1978 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesFranklin County, Pennsylvania holds 67,157 housing units (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesOwners occupy 73.5% of the occupied homes in Franklin County, Pennsylvania (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesCodes & Standards Behind Central AC Work in Franklin County, Pennsylvania11 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.
What Franklin County, Pennsylvania Requires for HVAC Installation
Pennsylvania names the trade in its own definition: installing central heating or air conditioning is a home improvement under the Act, whether or not the equipment is affixed — so an HVAC installation is work the registration requirement reaches.
A Pennsylvania registration displaces the local one: no political subdivision may require a home improvement contractor to register, license or pay a fee on top of it, though building permits and local code enforcement still apply.
Pennsylvania requires home improvement contractor registration rather than a licence: nobody may hold themselves out as a contractor, or perform any home improvement, without first registering with the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Severe Weather Events in Franklin County
Extreme weather puts real hours on HVAC equipment. A system sized and installed for local conditions handles those loads differently than one spec'd for somewhere milder, which is why weather history is a practical input for any installation decision in this area.
111 severe weather events, 2015–2024. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database.