Runtime hours, not years in Richmond
冷氣度日 981、一年約 44 天超過 32°C——運轉時數中等，壽命接近全國平均; 屋齡中位 1962 年——那個年代的風管與絕緣多半跟不上現在的機組效率，換機前值得先看風管.
冷氣度日 981、一年約 44 天超過 32°C——運轉時數中等，壽命接近全國平均
屋齡中位 1962 年——那個年代的風管與絕緣多半跟不上現在的機組效率，換機前值得先看風管
Richmond runs about 981 cooling degree days a year, which is a direct proxy for how many hours the compressor will actually turn - and compressors wear out by running hours, not by calendar years.
Why this changes what you should buy
In a dry climate the machine is doing almost pure sensible cooling, so the limiting factors move outdoors: how hot the condenser gets, how much dust is packed into its fins, and how many hours a year it runs. Those are maintenance and placement questions more than equipment questions.
Average relative humidity around Richmond sits near 69 percent, which decides whether the machine's job is mostly cooling or mostly pulling water out of the air.
What to ask for, in order
- A Manual J load calculation, not a square-footage rule of thumb
- Shade or at least afternoon relief for the outdoor unit, without blocking airflow
- A maintenance interval that includes washing the condenser coil, which fills fast here
- Duct inspection before sizing, because attic ducts in this climate leak into very hot air
Richmond gets roughly 44 days a year above 32 Celsius, and those are the days a system that is even slightly undersized will never catch up.
Prices in nearby cities
Newport News · Norfolk · Durham · Cary · High Point · Wilmington · Spartanburg · North Charleston · Knoxville · Augusta · Athens · Savannah