Does Size Really Matter?

Depending on the size of your home, choosing a new air conditioner can be difficult. Air conditioners are all different sizes, shapes and efficiencies. Depending on your house, you may even need two air conditioners instead of one. This is your guide to AC replacement. If you buy an air conditioner that is too big, you run the risk of cooling your house too quickly and over expending on energy costs.

What happens if you buy an oversized air conditioner?

If you buy an air conditioner that is too big, it shuts off and heat quickly seeps into the house, forcing you to turn on the air conditioner again. Cooling your house with an air conditioner that is too big, does not work because the AC cannot go through a full cycle of cooling. Instead, it blasts the house with cool air, cooling it quickly, but inefficiently. Not to mention that the sheer amount of power needed to allow the AC to function this way, will run up your utility bills.

What happens if you buy and undersized air conditioner?

If your air conditioning is too small, then it will run constantly because it will be trying to keep up with the heat coming into your house from outside. A small AC will have trouble cooling the entire house and you may need to close off pieces of your house and only cool sections instead of the whole thing. A small air conditioner will also run up your electric bill because it will work slowly and will never turn off.

Multiply your house square footage by 25 and then divide that number by 12,000. After that, you subtract 0.5. The end of this equation will be the required number of tons you need for your air conditioner.

2,000 square feet X 25 = 50,000
50,000 ÷ 12,000 = 4.1
4.1 – 0.5 = 3.6

If you have a house that is 2,000 square feet, then you would need an AC that is 3.6 tons to cool your house. Also, remember that this is a ballpark estimate.  

It’s always best to contact a certified and trusted air conditioning specialist when you are considering replacement of your air conditioning system. South Floridians have trusted the Comfort Consultants and AC technicians at Art plumbing, AC and Electric with all their air conditioning queries since 1983. Contact us today for more information on choosing an air conditioner.