Are you feeling too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer, despite having a functioning air conditioning and heating system? The experts at ServiceOne, one of Orlando’s leading AC companies, explains that it might be an issue of capacity.
“It can be challenging to maintain a comfortable temperature in an older two-story home or a home that has been remodeled to create additional space,” explains Bill Gouty, Service One founder and president. “If you have a two-story home with one system, the upstairs will often be warmer than down. Or, a one-story house may be hot or cold depending on the size, the length and the layout. Unless you have a zoned system, a single AC unit can have you changing the thermostat constantly.”
Using two systems has many advantages over a single unit, but it is not always the best choice. The age and design of your house may affect your decision, along with the costs of purchasing and running a second air-conditioning unit. Service One may recommend installing a zoning system to monitor each level, with one AC system, to help maintain the same temperature throughout the whole house.
To determine what size unit is needed, Service One will perform a Manual J Load calculation, a protocol developed by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA). Manual J load calculations determine how much heating and cooling a house actually needs. HVAC load calculations require time and attention to detail, so most HVAC contractors rely on rules of thumb to determine the sizes of the cooling systems they install. Usually it’s based on square footage of conditioned floor area, and contractors generally use 400 to 600 square feet per ton as their rule. But every house is different. Even the same house rotated ninety degrees could vary in cooling load by 25 percent.
“It is very important that an HVAC contractor like ServiceOne perform the Manual J calculations to determine the heating / cooling loads of the house,” said Gouty. “That way, the system(s) can be sized properly, giving you the best efficiency for the space and bang for your buck.”
“By ensuring that you have right size AC unit in your home, you will avoid wasting energy and save money on monthly utility bills,” said Gouty. “Best of all, you’ll enjoy the confidence of knowing that your family will be comfortably cool during the summer and toasty warm in winter.”