What Size Air Conditioner Do I Need for My Home?

May 19, 2021
Air Conditioner in Marion, North Carolina

When it’s time to buy a new central air conditioning system for your home in Marion, NC, it’s important to choose one that’s the right size. If you purchase a cooling system that’s too small, your home won’t get cool enough, and your electricity bills will be sky-high. Buying an air conditioning system that’s too large will also mean high utility bills and poor humidity control. Follow these tips on determining the capacity of the air conditioning system your home needs.

Calculate Your Home’s Square Footage

As a rule of thumb, you need 20 BTUs (British thermal units) of air conditioning capacity per square foot of space in your home. You can measure each room of your home and add up the total square footage. Once you’ve arrived at this estimate, it should be modified by other factors.

Consider Factors Specific to Your Home

For a precise determination of what size of air conditioner you need, a professional HVAC technician takes into account a number of factors. Is your home shaded or in direct sunlight all day? How many windows does it have? Is the insulation sufficient? How many people are living in the household? All of these considerations will alter the cooling requirement.

Choose an Air Conditioner With the Right Capacity Range

When purchasing a new cooling system, pick one with your home’s capacity requirement in the middle of its range. For example, if your home needs 24,000 BTUs to cool it properly, select an air conditioning system with a capacity of 22,000 to 26,000. Don’t pick one with more than 15% extra capacity. Doing so will result in high electricity bills and other issues such as short-cycling.

Morris Heating & Cooling is the trusted air conditioning installation company in Marion. We’re also ready to provide you with heating system installation and heating and cooling repair and maintenance services. Our indoor air quality solutions will keep your home’s air clean and fresh. For more details about what size of air conditioner you need for optimal comfort, get in touch with us at Morris Heating & Cooling today.

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