Is Your AC Unit the Right Size For Your Home?

During the heat of summer in Columbia, South Carolina, it is vital to keep your AC running. If you feel like your home is not cool enough and your energy bills are going sky high, it may be time to have a professional HVAC technician calculate the size and energy usage of your home to determine if you have the proper sized AC unit.

Why Is Size Important?

Bigger is not always better when choosing an air conditioner. A large AC unit will blow cool air very quickly through the home, and then shut off quickly. As the room heats up again, the AC fires back up, blows cool air, then shuts back down. This continuous loop can make your AC wear out quickly.

Air conditioners are designed to cool gradually and run for a long time before shutting down. This helps to minimize the startup cycle. If your AC keeps cycling on and off, you may be looking at costly repairs. In reverse, if your AC is undersized, it will never shut down, will run continuously, waste energy, and you will eventually need to repair or replace the unit.

How Do I Know Which Size I Need?

With so many factors to consider, you need to hire a professional to do the measurements and calculations. They will determine the total volume of your home (not just the square footage), how many walls are exposed to harsh sun, what direction your windows are facing, how efficiently your ducting system works, and if your home has any shade from landscaping.

With this data, the technician can recommend a certain tonnage that would be adequate for your home. However, not all air conditioning units are created equal. You need one that has the right Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). The SEER measurement calculates how much cooling output the system delivers divided by how much money is spent on electricity. The higher your SEER rating, the more efficient your unit will be.

If you would like to know if your home’s AC unit is the right size, call Krantz Kooling and Heating today at (803) 672-3224 to set up an appointment.

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