Your Kimberly Heating and Cooling Experts
The federal minimum efficiency standards for new AC equipment changed in 2023, and they vary by region. Idaho falls in the southern efficiency region, meaning new AC installations in Twin Falls County must meet the 15 SEER2 minimum — not the 14 SEER2 that applies in northern states. Higher-efficiency equipment costs more upfront but reduces operating costs over the system's life. In Kimberly's climate with its extended cooling season, the payback on higher SEER2 equipment comes faster than it would in a market with a shorter AC season.
Twin Falls County's climate divides cleanly between heating and cooling seasons — cold winters that load furnaces for 4 to 5 months, and warm summers that put real demand on AC systems. Both systems fail most often at the start of the season they haven't run since the prior year.
Kimberly sees approximately 740 cooling degree days in summer and 4,060 heating degree days in winter, with real seasonal demand on both systems. Twin Falls County homes built around 1979 — the local median — are at the age where original HVAC equipment is entering the replacement planning window.