Finding the Right Sized Air Conditioner

Contrary to popular belief in America, bigger is not always better. This could not be truer when it comes to choosing an AC unit. While it might seem like a good idea to go out and buy the biggest unit you can afford, many times you are actually causing yourself more headaches than you are solving. Having an AC unit that is sized properly for the space that is cooling improves efficiency, life of the unit and effectiveness of the unit.

Humidity in the Air

One of the main things that make us feel hotter in the summer than we might actually be is the humidity in the air. Summer humidity can turn a warm day into an unbearably hot day. That is why your air conditioner actually works to remove humidity from the air and make the air not only be cooler, but feel cooler as well. An air conditioner that is too large is unable to do this effectively.

Because an oversized unit is able to get to the temperature that you desire quickly, it doesn’t have enough time to run and dehumidify the air. The process of dehumidification is much slower than actually cooling of the temperature. The result is that the air in your home feels much warmer than it is because there is still a lot of humidity in it. Units that are properly sized will run long enough to cool and dehumidify the air, making your home feel much cooler overall.

Cycling the Motor

An oversized AC unit will be able to cool your home faster as it can blow more cool air than you need very quickly. This causes two major problems when it comes to your motor: cycling and inefficiency.

Most motors need to run for about 10 minutes to get to peak efficiency. The ramp up time to that means that the motor is working harder than usual and consuming more energy than it normally would. Since an oversized unit typically runs very shortly, you never are able to get the blower up to peak efficiency, which means higher energy bills overall.

You should also consider that cycling is hard on your components. Getting up to and operating at a steady state for a longer period of time gives the system much less wear and tear than turning it on and off frequently. Cycling a system on and off frequently can actually damage the HVAC parts and cause the system to break much sooner than it should.

Contact your HVAC Contractor for Help

In order to properly size your AC unit, you should contact an HVAC contractor for assistance. They are able to make calculations based upon several factors including:

• Size of your home
• Insulation
• Amount of sunlight that it gets
• Windows and doors
• Orientation to the weather

If you are in need of a new air conditioner, simply click here to get a custom quote from local HVAC contractors. You will get a free quote from reputable contractors, all without giving any contact information!