When you are facing the prospect of a furnace replacement for your Ocala home, make sure that the HVAC contractors with whom you work do load calculations first. This calculation guarantees that the furnace will be the right size. Installing one that is too large or too small shortens its life, drives up heating costs, and reduces your comfort.
Load Calculations: The First Step in Furnace Replacement
A load calculation applies to both heating and cooling equipment and should be the first step in replacing your HVAC equipment. It takes into account the following attributes of your home:
- Size of the home
- Overall energy efficiency of the home, which takes into consideration factors such as insulation, window quality and placement, and air leakage
- The amount of sun exposure
- Landscaping factors
- Household size or number of occupants
- Preferred indoor temperatures
- Heat you produce indoors
- Floor plan design
HVAC contractors use the Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s (ACCA) Manual J load calculations and Manual D duct designs to process the information for the size of the HVAC equipment and its ductwork size and configuration, along with its condition. Starting with the load calculations helps you to determine if you can improve your home’s energy efficiency. This could result in the need for a smaller system that will use less energy over its lifetime. Improving insulation levels and sealing air leaks are cost-effective ways to reduce the size of the heating system you need.
Why Size Matters
If the system is too large, it will run in short cycles, and damage the equipment. If the system turns on and off frequently, it is likely that rooms further from the thermostat will not have time to warm thoroughly. If the furnace is too small, it may struggle to heat your home during the coldest weather.
In either case, the result will be inefficient operation that will lead to higher heating bills.
Your qualified HVAC contractor will be able to help you to select the right unit for your home. For more information and help with load calculations, or any other HVAC concern contact the pros at Sun Kool Air Conditioning, Inc. at 352-282-4763. We provide services and systems to take care of your home comfort needs. Schedule an appointment today!
Image provided by Shutterstock
