When it comes to a new air conditioning installation, including replacing an outdated system, it’s very important to take a few steps before purchasing and installing your new system. One of these steps is determining what size of air conditioner you really need for your home. Many people go by the “rule of thumb” that you only need the square footage of your home to correctly estimate this; this is not correct. To correctly determine the right-sized AC, you need to determine what is known as the cooling load.
What Is a Cooling Load?
Your home is unique in many ways, and one of these ways is that it needs a specific amount of cool air to be comfortable. The best, and only true, way to find out how much cooling is necessary is to do a calculation that involves several factors, including:
- The orientation of your home
- Daytime heat gain
- Number of floors
- Number and types of windows and doors
- Type(s) of insulation throughout your home
- Number of rooms and occupants
- Floor plan
- Square footage
Using these factors and calculating them correctly, as your trained technician will do, will give you the correct cooling load for your home in Lower Gwynedd, PA.
Why Does It Matter?
Correct sizing is important for a number of reasons, depending on whether or not your AC is too big or too small. When your air conditioner is too big, two problematic situations can develop: first, your home will not properly dehumidify because the air conditioner is so big it cools your home too fast; second, the system will likely short-cycle, meaning it will turn on and off constantly, which will cause your energy bills to spike and your system to run down. Should your air conditioner be too small, it will work very hard to achieve your set temperature, so it will run constantly, using a great deal of energy and quickly wearing down. When you have the right-sized AC for your home, you won’t have to worry about either of these scenarios.
Need help correctly sizing your air conditioner? Call the experts at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment for your home in Lower Gwynedd, PA.