How To Choose The Perfect Air Conditioner Size For Your Home

According to one old adage, "bigger is better". This, however, isn't always true, especially when it comes to putting a new AC in your home. In fact, choosing a replacement air conditioner is rarely as easy as most people think. Buying a new A/C for your home entails far more than simply going to a nearby shop and picking out the largest unit you can find. There are actually numerous factors that homeowners should consider first.

Things To Know About AC Installation And Air Conditioner Size

Whenever you buy a central AC unit for your home, you must pick the right size. This article will talk about why choosing the right AC unit size can make a tremendous amount of difference for both you and your home.

The Size Of An Air Conditioner

The size of an air conditioner doesn't refer to the weight of this unit. It is instead a reference to the tonnage of an AC system. Often called "ton", tonnage is the amount of cooling that a system is capable of offering.

The cooling power of any AC system is measured by the amount of heat that it's able to remove from the home in one area. The metric used for heat measurement is the BTU or British Thermal Unit. A single AC ton can eliminate 12,000 BTUs each hour. Every ton will remove another 12,000 BTU. As such, a 4-ton air conditioner can eliminate up to 48,000 BTUs each hour. The higher the tonnage, the more air an air conditioner will be able to cool.

What You Can Expect From A Large Air Conditioner

Purchasing the highest AC tonnage your budget can buy, however, isn't the best decision. After all, there are a slew of issues that having too much cooling power will create. Short cycling is one of many issues that can be caused by having an air conditioner that's oversized.

Short cycling means that your air conditioner is turning off and on within a very short frame of time. Because an overly large AC system will cool the area down fast, this is going to trick your thermostat into thinking that all of the work is done. As such, the AC will shut down too early. Within a short period of time, however, the unit will turn right back on given that the air conditioner's refrigeration cycle isn't done.

You won't get an adequate amount of comfort from an air conditioner that's short cycling. Because your AC is only running for very short spans of time, it will not be able to evenly cool all areas of the home. This means that some spaces will feel much warmer than the others. This can also make the home feel quite humid. This is because your air conditioner also does the job of dehumidifying the air in your living environment. This is a function that your AC won't have time to perform if it's short cycling. Thus, you'll wind up feeling sticky, clammy and downright uncomfortable.

More importantly, an AC that's short cycling is inefficient. When your cooling system is not energy efficient, your home energy bill will increase. This can also place a lot more wear and tear on your cooling equipment. This will shorten the lifespan of your AC, thereby causing it to breakdown earlier than it would otherwise.

What To Expect When Your Air Conditioner Isn't Big Enough

Purchasing an AC system that is too small for your home is also a bad thing.  A cooling system that's under-sized can leave you with uneven temperatures throughout the leaving environment. Keep in mind that tonnage is a measurement of how much heat your air conditioner is capable of removing from the home. If you install an air conditioner that's too small for your living space, it won't be possible for this unit to cool all warm air within the building.

To make up for its insufficiency, this equipment will wind up working longer and harder. This can lead to excess strain and additional wear and tear. Damages like these won't just lead to expensive repairs. They can also cause total system failure. Smaller air conditioners tend to cost a lot less upfront than larger air conditioners. But, when the AC is too small, your power bills will be very large. It won't take long for you to realize just how costly it is to run an undersized unit.

How To Use The Manual J Load Calculation

To prevent all of these cooling issues, you will need to install the right sized air conditioner for your home. Consulting with a reputable HVAC contractor is always the surest way to accurately determine which AC size is going to be best for your space.

A professional can determine the cooling and heating load for your home with the Manual J load calculation. A lot of contractors have a very basic rule that they follow: one ton for each 400 square feet of space. This, however, is not always correct given that there are other variables to account for. As an example, your provider will additionally need to consider the local climate, the amount and type of insulation in your home, and even the layout of the property.

Make sure to search for "air conditioner installation in my area" to find a reliable HVAC company nearby. Don't place too much focus on the replacement cost for central air. It is far better to target quality services that are available at a reasonable price.

Conclusion

You can always count on Lawes Company when it comes to finding the perfect sized air conditioner for your home.

We offer high-quality HVAC services and solutions. Our services are priced affordably and come with a solid satisfaction guarantee. We provide the most competitive AC installation costs in the area. Get in touch with us right now if your need an AC tune-up, repair or replacement.

Our talented team of HVAC technicians would be delighted to answer your questions. We can also use our central air installation cost calculator to provide you with an accurate estimate for your installation project.

Call us now to get your free estimate. Call us at (732) 741-6300 to find out more!