When you’re shopping around for a new central air conditioner, you probably spend most of your time looking at the different brands, models and options, as well as investigating the HVAC contractor options; but how often do you think about the air conditioner's cooling capacity? Do you know how much cooling power you need for your spaces; or are you just hoping that the contractor knows what you need, and will take care of that “minor detail” for you?
Size considerations for central air conditioning systems
Central air conditioner sizing is something that has changed a lot over the years. When central AC systems first came out, the thought was simple: “Bigger is Better”. However, due to significant advances in modern central AC technology, professional installers have the ability to “right-size” the system to suit each home or building. What do we mean by right-sizing? Here are some of the key factors we must consider:
Climate - The Princeton / West-Central NJ area has a fairly hot and muggy summer climate, so the central AC systems that we install need to take those demands into account.
Size and Use of Indoor Space - The larger the house or building, the more capacity your central AC system will need; but how that space is used matters as well – a kitchen, with lots of appliances & cooking going on will obviously need more cooling than an unoccupied storage room of the same size.
- Building Construction and Efficiency - Advances in construction materials & methodology have led to more modern buildings being “tighter” - meaning they have a greater ability to keep the outdoor conditions out, and desired indoor conditions in – and therefore will likely not need as much cooling capacity as an older, “leaky” building of similar size, but less efficient construction materials.
There are at least 100 other factors that go into determining proper AC sizing beyond the few we’ve mentioned – far too many for us to list here; but your HVAC professional should be considering every one of these when proposing a new air conditioner for your home or building.
Right sizing is important, but not as crucial with today's central AC advancements
Luckily for you, it is not as important today to get the size “exactly right” as it was a generation ago, thanks to the introduction of multi-stage and variable-stage models that are capable of “up-sizing” or “down-sizing” themselves based on the demand during each operational cycle. You still want to make sure that you have enough capacity for those hottest days, when the demand for cooling is at its’ greatest; but as “one size fits all” is rarely the case, it’s comforting to know that you can have an air conditioner that has more than one output capacity – think of it as the pair of pants with the elastic waistband & drawstrings, but for your home!
Talk to the pros here at Princeton Air to learn more about sizing & variable output options for your central AC system. We’re here to consult with you on the right solution!
