What Size Air Conditioning System Do I Need for My Home

A sleek and efficient outdoor air conditioning unit designed to provide reliable climate control for residential spaces.

Maintaining comfort in your home efficiently relies heavily on the size of your air conditioning system. If the system is too small, it will struggle to cool your home and will operate continuously, leading to higher energy costs and insufficient comfort. On the other hand, an oversized system will cool the space too quickly, resulting in short cycling, uneven cooling, and poor humidity control. This can make your home feel cold and damp while also increasing wear and tear on the equipment. Proper sizing is key to achieving optimal comfort and efficiency.

Air conditioning regulates the temperature in your home by adding or removing heat, controlling humidity levels, and filtering out particulates such as dust and allergens.

Heat is measured in British thermal units (BTUs), and one ton of air conditioning removes 12,000 BTUs per hour (BTUh).

Homes typically gain between 20 and 30 BTUs per square foot, depending on factors like insulation and the types of windows and doors used. On average, a house gains between 22 and 26 BTUs per square foot.

To estimate the size of the heating or cooling system required for your home, multiply the square footage of your house by 22 and 26. For example, my home is 2,218 square feet. When calculating, 2,218 multiplied by 22 BTUs per square foot gives a total of 48796 BTUs, while 2,218 multiplied by 26 BTUs per square foot results in a total of 57668 BTUs.

Since one ton is equivalent to 12,000 BTUs, dividing 48,796 and 57,668 by this number results in a range of approximately 4.06 to 4.8 tons. In my opinion, a 5-ton unit would be the most suitable size for my home.

Now that you know how to determine the size system for your home, the next step is to find out what size you currently have. To do this, check the model number of your outdoor unit. Look for numbers such as 024, 030, 036, 042, 048, or 060. For example, an 024 indicates 24,000 BTUs, which is equivalent to 2 tons, while a 060 represents 60,000 BTUs, or 5 tons.

I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions or need to upgrade your system, don't hesitate to contact Cogburn's Heating and Air Conditioning for assistance.