Choosing the Right Size Air Conditioner for your Home
Choosing a central air conditioning system to install in your home is no simple task. Selecting the correct HVAC system is highly important because a undersized or oversized unit can lead to significant problems in the future. It is not easy to account for all the factors that affect air conditioner size estimates. Guidance from a qualified HVAC company, like Four Seasons, will help point you in the right direction.
What AC unit sizes are available? The typical air conditioner used to cool an American home has a size of two tons. This doesn’t mean that the unit actually weighs two tons. It means that the unit has an hourly cooling capacity of 24,000 BTUs (British thermal units). In other words, an air conditioner this size has enough power to cool down 24,000 lbs of water by one degree. Larger homes can have units in a three-ton size while smaller homes can be found as small as a one-ton size.
How are AC Sizes Estimated? Avoid buying an air conditioner that is too large for your home. When shopping for a new HVAC unit it is important to remember that bigger is not necessarily better.
A rough estimate you can you use to determine size of your air conditioner or heat pump is 600-650 square feet per ton. For instance, if an area in your home is 1,400 sq ft of conditioned space, you would then divide that 1,400 by 650 to get 2.1, meaning you would need a 2-ton unit. It is wise to undersize with air conditioning equipment than oversize. In the long run, larger air conditioners will waste more energy. Since an AC unit removes both heat and humidity out of the air, a proper size unit will remove humidity effectively as it cools down your home.
It can be challenging to determine what is the correct size HVAC unit for your home. While the information we gave you is good to reference, we strongly recommend you have one of our professionals assist you in selecting the ideal air conditioner for your home as there could be other factors that directly affect the size of your AC. Four Seasons is your trusted Northwest Florida HVAC company specializing in HVAC repair services and installation. Contact us today for more information on our services.