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How big an air conditioner do you need for your home?
You may find this a strange question. Obviously, you want an air conditioner that will fit where it’s supposed to go. But the “size” of an air conditioner isn’t about the amount of space it takes up. It’s the amount of cooling it can put out.
Finding the right system for your AC installation in West Chester, PA is more complicated than just picking a system you think is powerful enough to keep your house cool. A home needs a specific size air conditioner, one that’s neither too small or too large. Yes, too large is a problem, and far too many amateurs make the mistake of putting in an air conditioner that’s too powerful for the home it’s supposed to keep comfortable.
The good news is that you don’t have to worry much about finding the right AC. You can leave the hard part to us. We have the experience, training, and tools to ensure you end up with the perfect AC for years of comfort and manageable energy bills.
Why Too Small and Too Big Are Bad News
An air conditioner that’s not powerful enough to cool your home obviously isn’t an AC you want. It may get a few rooms comfortable, but it won’t be able to evenly cool the entire house and it will run and run trying to hit a goal it can’t possibly reach. This means huge energy waste and a house that isn’t comfortable enough.
The oversized air conditioner brings its own set of problems that amateurs often don’t consider. You can’t just run the AC lower to compensate when it’s too powerful. The trouble is that this oversized AC will lower the temperature at the center of the house so rapidly that the thermostat will mistakenly register that the cooling cycle is done. It will shut the cooling cycle off early, and the AC will restart soon after and repeat the process. This is called short-cycling and it puts a huge strain on the air conditioner’s components and wastes immense amounts of electricity because the start-up cycle requires the most power.
The only way to “fix” an oversized or undersized air conditioner is to replace it, so you want to avoid these mistakes from the start. Going with experienced HVAC pros is the best way to ensure you have the right sized AC.
How We Correctly Size an AC
When we install a central air conditioner, we go through a special process to size the new AC. We use a calculation to determine the necessary cooling “load” for the house. This calculation factors in the house size, the insulation, the number of heat-generating appliances, the number of lights, the sun exposure through windows, and the number of people in the house. From there, we can determine how many “tons” of cooling the AC must be. In most homes, it’s from 3 to 10 tons.
Michall Daimion Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. has been the Main Line’s Premier Service Provider since 1976. When you need a great AC or heat pump installation, choose us!