It’s very important that the correct residential HVAC sizing is installed in a house. An HVAC unit that is too small will constantly be running and will not provide enough heating or cooling to suit the house’s needs. On the other hand, an HVAC system that is too large will always short cycle and will drive up energy costs.
This is why the size of an AC unit is important in order to save energy and to keep costs down. Before, many builders calculated what they hoped to be the correct residential HVAC sizing based on rule of thumb. However, this is now known as inefficient, and many better rules now apply. Here’s how to get the correct HVAC sizing for your home. You will need a ruler and a tape measure.
Calculating British Thermal Units
1. Measure the room’s length and width, and then multiply these to get the room’s square footage. You will want to measure each room of the house and add the square footage together.
2. Find the CFM (cubic feet per minute) of each of the rooms and add these up.
3. Convert the CFM into tons by dividing the number by 400. For example, if you have 2,000 CFM and you divide it by 400, then you need an air conditioning unit that is 5 tons.
4. Calculate the size needed for your furnace by dividing your CFM by 150 and multiplying that number by 10,000. This number will be the British Thermal Units (BTUs).
5. Find a furnace that is close to your calculated British Thermal Units and an air conditioning unit that is also close to the total tonnage.
Purchase these from a manufacturer and install them according to instructions. You should now have a properly sized HVAC unit for your home!
Need an HVAC Expert?
Contact TalkLocal today, and let us help you locate an HVAC expert near you! If you are having trouble calculating the right size of HVAC system for your home, let us help you out! We’ll connect you with up to three professionals in your area in just minutes.
