How to Check if Your Columbus HVAC System Is the Right Size

Do you ever feel that your home just doesn’t get cool enough during the warm months or warm enough during the cold months? Have you tried to adjust your thermostat to your ideal comfort level but it just never seems right? And on top of that, do you notice that your utility bills keep going up and up? Even when you dial up the thermostat in the summer and dial it down in the winter to save on energy usage, are your bills still about the same?

No Ducts

The air conditioning condensing unit sitting in your backyard and the furnace in your basement should be making your home as comfortable as possible. But in many cases, they are not. That’s because whoever installed those HVAC system components didn’t do their homework on your house. The components were sized incorrectly. If a furnace or air conditioner is sized incorrectly, it usually cannot keep up with the heating or cooling demands and often puts a large burden on the equipment. As a result, regular failures and repair bills are commonplace.

But it may not be the fault of the installing HVAC contractor. Over the years your home may have undergone renovations including additions and new windows, which have increased the square footage and demand for more heating and cooling. Those renovations may not have included upgrades to your home’s HVAC system.

Monthly Savings

So how do you check for the right size? Call a professional Columbus HVAC contractor and ask for an inspection of your home. The inspection will include several key checks including a load calculation, which adds in the size of your home’s living space, number of doors and windows where heat loss or gain could occur, and a check of heat loss or gain through leakage in cracks, roofs, crawlspaces, etc. They can determine what size furnace and air conditioner is needed to meet the heating or cooling needs of your home. Your HVAC contractor may also factor in the number of building occupants and normal usage patterns, i.e. having a home office or stay-at-home parent versus a working family where your home is mostly occupied on nights and weekends

All of these factors are considered when determining the equipment size. In air conditioning jargon, you will hear about tonnage of cooling capacity. An example may be a 2.5 ton air conditioning unit for a 2,000 square foot home. In furnace jargon, you will learn about BTU ratings, which are British Thermal Units. Most furnaces are sized in 20-25,000 BTU increments. Each is matched to the cooling or heating needs of your home. Your HVAC contractor will likely recommend using a programmable thermostat as well. That way, you can create temperature zones in your home, based on when each zone is occupied.

Make sure you don’t hire someone who “guesstimates” how much cooling or heating capacity you need for your home. Find a qualified Columbus HVAC professional who will make the correct calculations and who will qualify their recommendations. A properly sized HVAC system will equate to manageable utility bills and above average indoor comfort.

For more information about how to make your HVAC system more effective, give Quality Air Heating and Air Conditioning a call!