When an air conditioner gives out in a Birmingham summer, the heat finds out fast. Engle Services Heating & Air – Electrical – Plumbing handles air conditioning installation and replacement for homeowners across Birmingham, putting in a system that's sized for your actual house and built to hold up through July and August. We'll come look at what you've got and give you a free, no-obligation quote, with financing available if you'd rather spread the cost out.
Lewis Engle started this company in 2001 and still runs it today. That matters more than it sounds like it should. A lot of heating and air companies have been bought up by outside investors and run from somewhere far off, and Engle isn't one of them. The name on the trucks belongs to someone who still answers for the work.
Ready for your AC installation? Give us a call at (205) 379-0888 or, if you prefer, schedule online.
- Licensed & Insured
- BBB A+ Rated
- Google Guaranteed
- NATE Certified
- Rheem Pro Partner
- Carrier Authorized Dealer
Should You Repair or Replace Your AC?
If your air conditioner is still fairly young and the fix is small, a repair is usually the right call, and we'll tell you so. The math changes as a unit ages. Once it's past twelve or fifteen years, the repairs start landing more often and costing more, and a system running on phased-out refrigerant like R-22 gets expensive to service for what you get back. The other signs tend to show up in the house itself: rooms that never quite cool, humidity the system can't pull down, and a power bill creeping up while your usage stays the same. Any one of those on its own might just need a repair. Several of them together usually means the unit is near the end.
When you're there, a new high-efficiency system often costs less over time than nursing the old one along, since it pays you back on the power bill every month it runs. We'll give you an honest read on which side of that line your unit is on, and if a repair will get you another few good summers, we'll say that too.
Financing Available
A new system is a real expense, and not everyone wants to cover it all at once. We offer financing on new AC installations so you can get the house cooling now and spread the cost out on terms that work for you. We'll go over the options when we quote the job.
Prequalify for a New AC System
If you'd like to know where you stand before we come out, you can prequalify online through Synchrony Bank in a few minutes. The application is short, checking won't affect your credit score, and you'll see the monthly payment options for a new heating and cooling system right away.
Get Prequalified
A New System, Sized for Your Home
The single most common mistake in air conditioning installation is putting in whatever size was there before. An oversized unit short-cycles and never pulls the humidity out of the air, so the house feels clammy even when the thermostat says it's cool. An undersized one runs itself ragged trying to keep up. Either way you paid for a system that doesn't do its job.
So before we quote anything, we size the system to your actual home: its square footage, its layout, the condition of the ductwork, and how well it holds conditioned air. Get that right and your new system cools the house evenly and holds up through the worst of the Birmingham summer.
What Birmingham Summers Ask of a System
Our cooling season is long and humid, and that changes what you should be looking for. Because the unit runs so much of the year here, the efficiency of the system matters more than it would in a milder climate, since that's what shows up on your power bill every month from spring into fall. And because our air is so humid, a system that's sized to pull moisture out, not just push cold air around, is what actually makes a house feel comfortable rather than cold and clammy. The right system for your AC replacement in Birmingham depends on both, and it's the first thing we work out when we come look.
Heat Pump Installation in Birmingham
A heat pump is worth a real look for a lot of Birmingham homes, and our climate is the reason. It cools exactly like a central air conditioner all summer, but because our winters are mild, the same unit can carry most of your heating too, without leaning hard on a separate furnace. One system covers both seasons, and in a climate like ours it spends most of its working life cooling anyway.
That doesn't make it the right call for every house. It depends on your existing setup, the condition of your ductwork, and whether you already have gas heat you're happy with. We'll lay out how a heat pump compares to a straight air conditioner for your home and quote whichever actually fits, not whichever costs more. And because that system doubles as your home heating once the weather turns, it's as much a heating decision as a cooling one.
What to Expect on Installation Day
It starts before installation day, with a free in-home visit where we size the system to your house and give you a no-obligation quote. Once you've decided, most replacements are a single day's work. We handle the permits, set the new equipment, make the connections, and haul the old unit away when we're done. Before we leave, we run the system and check that it's cooling the way it should, because a system that was installed right is the whole point of paying to have it installed at all.
If your home needs ductwork repaired or reworked to do the job properly, that can add time, and we'll tell you that up front rather than discover it halfway through. You won't get surprises on installation day from us.
Older Homes and Newer Construction
No two Birmingham neighborhoods cool the same way. The historic homes in places like Forest Park, Highland Park, and Crestwood were built long before central air was standard, and they often have ductwork that was added later, retrofitted into houses that weren't designed around it. That changes how a system has to be sized and where the air actually needs to go. Newer construction out along the US-280 corridor and Meadowbrook tends to have tighter envelopes and ductwork built in from the start, which is a different calculation again.
We install for both, and the point is the same either way: the system gets matched to the house in front of us, not to a rule of thumb.
Why Birmingham Homeowners Call Engle
After 25 years serving Central Alabama, Lewis Engle has a reputation he has no interest in risking on a rushed install. We're BBB A+ rated, a Rheem Pro Partner and Carrier Authorized Dealer, and one of the few companies that can take care of your heating and air, your plumbing, and your electrical all under one roof. You can read more about our heating, plumbing, and electrical work across Birmingham. When the same company knows your whole house, you're not juggling three contractors to keep it running.
FAQs on AC Installation
How much does a new AC system cost in Birmingham?
It depends on the size and efficiency of the system and the condition of your existing ductwork, so there's no honest flat number to quote sight unseen. We come out, size the job to your home, and give you a free, no-obligation quote, with financing available if you'd like to spread it out.
How long does an AC installation take?
Most standard replacements are a one-day job. Older homes that need ductwork repairs or modifications can run longer, and we'll tell you up front if yours is one of them.
What size AC unit do I need for my home?
That's exactly what we work out before quoting, based on your square footage, layout, ductwork, and how well the house holds conditioned air. It isn't a square-footage rule of thumb, because two homes the same size can need different systems.
Should I install a heat pump or a straight AC?
For a lot of Birmingham homes a heat pump is a strong option, since our mild winters let one unit handle cooling and most of the heating both. For others, a straight air conditioner paired with existing gas heat makes more sense. It comes down to your ductwork and your current setup, and we'll walk you through the comparison before you decide.
Should I repair my AC or replace it?
If the unit is still fairly young and the repair is minor, fixing it is usually the smart move. Once it's older, failing often, or running on phased-out refrigerant, replacement often costs less over time once you factor in the energy savings. We'll give you a straight answer for your unit.
Do you offer financing on a new system?
Yes. We offer financing on new AC installations so you can get the house cooling now and pay over time. We'll go over the terms when we quote the job.