There's more to designing an air conditioning system than you might expect. If you think it's enough to throw in some ductwork, pick an oversized air conditioner, and call it a day, you may be surprised to learn that this approach can lead to an imbalanced system and significant problems. Choosing an air conditioning system with balance in mind is crucial to achieving the best possible results.
How Can Your AC Live a Balanced Life?
You've probably heard that you should strive for balance in all things, and your air conditioning system needs to follow the same advice. Remember that air conditioners don't generate cool air. Instead, they pull energy (heat) from your home, leaving a colder environment. A well-designed system needs to balance its capacity to remove heat with the rate that your home gains heat from the environment.
In the summer, your home can gain heat in numerous ways. For example, some heat will enter your home from the sun beating down on your roof. You'll also lose conditioned air through walls, windows, doors, and other gaps in your home's envelope. Even a well-insulated home will continually pick up some heat from its environment, especially on hot days.
An efficient air conditioning system must balance itself against this heat gain. Your contractor will need to calculate the maximum amount of heat your home is likely to gain and determine how much of that heat your AC system needs to remove. Warm environments or poorly insulated homes require more powerful air conditioning systems to keep up with the increased heat.
Why Is Balance a Critical Design Feature?
Achieving balance with your air conditioning design is about more than just getting the most efficient system possible. An undersized system won't be able to keep up with the rate of heat gain on the hottest days, forcing your system to work harder and creating a less comfortable environment. Longer runtimes also mean your hardware will wear out more quickly.
On the other hand, an oversized system will overshoot its target and may shut down too quickly. This short-cycling behavior can also wear out system components and may lead to uncomfortable interior conditions and even increased humidity levels. In some cases, a too-large system may make your home even more uncomfortable than one that's too small.
Working with a contractor to design a well-balanced system for your home will ensure that your new air conditioner can provide efficient comfort even on the year's hottest days. Contact a local HVAC technician to learn more about AC installation.
Share19 January 2022
While sitting in my living room on a hot summer day, I could feel the heat coming through the ceiling out of my attic and making the house warm up more than it should. I crawled up into the attic one evening to find out that the roof vents weren't working any longer because they were clogged with all sorts of debris. Did you know that when this happens, your home's temperature can rise to very uncomfortable levels? Did you know that your home could actually be damaged if the attic isn't well vented? This blog will show you all about attic ventilation.