What is required? I have briefly discussed what is required from most city's in California. Depending on where you live depends on what is required. In some county's to replace your AC you pay a permit fee. Somewhere around $100.00. Inside the city limits, you may pay $500.00. You will be required to submit a load calculation, duct leakage certification, and even a drawing. For more information on load calculations go to http://www.acca.org/ It will take from 2 hours to 16 hours to do a load calculation an a home depending on the size on the home. Most homes will take 6 to 8 hours from start to finish. You have to get all the information from the house then input it into a computer to get the load.
Why is this required? Will the way we (contractors) would size a system for a house, in the 60's was to stand out side on the curb and hold your hand up and how ever many fingers it took to cover the house is how many tons you needed, the 70's and 80's for some reason we started using 400 sq. ft per ton. 1200 sq ft home = 3 tons of air it was easy and if your not sure if that would cool add a ton. Electricity was cheap. Then the 90's came and things started to change, the utility's started running out of electricity and it was not cheap to build power plants, so what do they do, REGULATE... All our usage. They say that we have been putting in to big of units. Energy Star and rebates were invented. Buy energy Star and save money. It did get some momentum but not enough, so the government steps in.
This is why it takes weeks to get a permit and why it makes that $1500.00 unit that sits outside cost $3,000.00.
No matter which side of the fence your on contractors are stuck in the middle trying to make a living. It cost the consumer and it cost the contractor, and the government they just keep regulating.
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