How To Pick The Right Sized AC Unit

June 21, 2022 | Blog

Making the best choices surrounding your air conditioning is a necessary process that can become difficult without the correct information. Whether it is moving to a new home, building from the bottom-up, or looking to get an AC replacement, these decisions can be the difference between being comfortable or miserable in your home.

Many factors play into having an efficient air conditioning unit. Size is a factor that can make the most significant difference in the comfort of your home. Southern Air Heating, Cooling & Plumbing wants to help you understand how to pick your unit best. Below are our tips to help you make the best choice for your home.

Why is AC Size Important?

If the size of your air conditioner does not match the specifications of your home, it will not function the way it should. When you don’t have enough cooling capacity, your unit will not adequately cool your home. If your AC has too much cooling capacity, it will not correctly humidify your home. No matter which side you land on, it results in energy waste and undesirable conditions.

Understanding the Terminology

The size of your air conditioner does not refer to your unit’s physical length and width. It refers to the cooling capacity your unit has. It’s essential to understand the difference between cooling load and capacity. The cooling capacity of your AC unit describes how powerful your AC is. British thermal units (Btu’s) are used to measure the power of your system or tons.

The cooling load is the amount of heat that needs to be removed from a space to maintain the temperature in an adequate range. This allows your home to remain at a comfortable temperature inside, despite potential extreme temperatures outside.

How to Calculate the Size of Your Unit

To calculate the size of the air conditioner you need for a room, first, multiply the length of the room by its width. Then multiply it by 25 BTU to get efficient cooling for the room under different weather conditions.

For example, if the room is 20 feet long and 22 feet wide, it comes to 440 square feet. Now multiply 440 by 25 BTU per square foot you get 11,00 BTU which is the minimum cooling capacity of the air conditioner you should buy.

Manual J Inspection

The Manual J Inspection is what contractors use to determine the HVAC capacity of the space you will need your unit installed. This inspection ensures a suitable energy-saving unit is installed. Below are the factors this inspection takes into consideration:

• Square footage
• Number of residents
• Heat-generating appliances
• Number and type of windows
• Regional climate
• Sun exposure
• Insulation type

Professional AC Installations In New Orleans

Don’t let all of the technical stuff make AC buying a difficult process for you. If you have more questions about cooling capacity, cooling load, or a professional air conditioning installation process, contact one of our technicians.

Let our team of New Orleans AC installation experts help you make the best AC unit decision for your home!

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