How We Calculate Heating and Cooling Loads

Many persons believe that a bigger air conditioner will give them more cooling power. However, if your air conditioner is not correctly sized for your home, you could be wasting money and sacrificing comfort. When installing your system, your HVAC technician should observe certain steps to make sure that the air conditioning system for your Sugar Land, Texas, home is the right size. Understanding heating and cooling loads and what is needed in selecting the right system for your home can save you a lot of time and money.

Why this Calculation Is Important

Calculating the heating and cooling loads for your HVAC unit is important for indoor comfort and for saving money and energy. If your HVAC unit is too big, it wastes a lot of energy frequently starting up and shutting off. This inconsistent cooling can also cause high levels of humidity. When your HVAC system is too small for your home, it will run constantly, without cooling your home. This means you’ll be uncomfortable and waste money.

Knowing and calculating the precise heating and cooling loads for your home is important. The right calculations prevent you from purchasing a costly air conditioner that does nothing to keep you comfortable or managing temperature or humidity.

The ACCA Manual J

To do the complicated math that is required for heating and cooling loads, technicians use the Manual J load calculation from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America Association, Inc. (ACCA). Heating and cooling loads must be calculated for each home and with each new unit because there are many unique factors to be considered. Most calculations are now done by computer, which makes it a lot easier and reduces errors.

For each home, the ACCA Manual J calculation for heating and cooling loads takes into account factors including:

• The orientation of the home
• The square footage
• The amount of direct sunlight the home receives
• The level of insulation
• The type of windows
• The type of foundation
• The type and color of the roof
• The desired indoor temperature

If you’ve run into an HVAC problem in your home, Conditioned Air can help. Just give us a call today at (281) 561-6911 to learn how our solutions can help you.

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