Calculating Home Heating and Cooling | Melbourne FL
Considering a new heater or air conditioner in your home? Central AC and heating is vital to comfort in your residential space, especially in the nearly-year-’round Florida heat, but there’s one very important step that homeowners often forget about in the rush to get a new air conditioning installed in their home: HVAC load. Properly heating and cooling Melbourne FL homes depends on choosing a system that is the right size and efficiency for your space.
But how does an HVAC contractor calculate HVAC load sizes for residential properties? Why is it so important? What can happen if you rush through the process? Read on to find out more about how professional HVAC companies like Cool Rays AC help homeowners find the perfect system for them!
How Residential HVAC Load is Calculated
Every professional HVAC company will walk you through the process of muddling through the many options for air conditioning and heating systems. One of the most important steps will be figuring out your heating and cooling load, or how much work a system must do in order to maintain a comfortable temperature indoors.
The proper method for calculating the exact number of BTUs (British Thermal Units) is the residential Manual J from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. This calculator is quite complex, taking insulation, home dimensions, windows and doors, climate, ductwork leakage, and more into account when determining the size and equipment needed for a home. The ACCA also has the Manual N for commercial HVAC load calculation.
However, calculating every home’s AC and heating needs with the Manual J would be expensive and would take a lot more time than most people would want to wait. So, certified technicians in the field will use a BTU calculator to give an approximate estimate for homeowners during an HVAC services call. This includes:
- Residential Square Footage
- Insulation Factors (Occupants, Windows, and Exterior Doors)
- Heat-Producing Items
Why It Matters for Your Home
High-quality comfort is vital for a nice living space. But beyond keeping cozy during the winter months and avoiding high energy bills on hot days, an over- or under-sized system has other issues to contend with. Let’s take a look at why sizing is so important when it comes to maintenance and repair services.
Undersized AC & Heating
When your system is faced with hot or cold days that it just can’t handle, you and your home are the ones to suffer. An underpowered system is forced to run more often and work harder to keep up with the temperature changes. Not only does this raise your bills, it also means that your AC or heater will wear down faster, suffer from more repairs, and need to be replaced faster. If your AC is too small, it’s time to invest in one of our HVAC maintenance plans!
Oversized AC & Heating
Bigger does not always mean better – and with a too-big AC, you’ll need even more heating and AC repair and installation services from your local HVAC technician than you’d think. The problem with an oversized system is that you’ll run into constant short-cycling, which is when your home reaches temperature too fast and cuts off before the cycle is complete. Yes, this is a problem!
It’s super inefficiency, and it causes tons of damage to your system over time. You’ll experience a lot of air conditioning repair and heating repair in an effort to get the highest quality comfort. The solution? Replacing the system with a properly sized one.
Find the Right Sized System for Your Space
If you’re encountering high energy bills, poor efficiency, and constant repairs, it may be time to talk to your local HVAC experts (that’s us!) to find out if your system is the right size for your space. We service all of Brevard County, from Titusville to Palm Bay, so give call our customer service for an evaluation and find out if a new system is the proper solution for your home’s comfort!
