subject: How Important Is Air Conditioner Sizing? [print this page] The size of your air conditioning unit will determine how useful it is in cooling your home when the weather is hot. Air conditioner sizing is probably more crucial than you may have previously thought. Some people just do not understand the requirements when it comes to using air conditioners to cool a home. Before you purchase a new system, it's important to keep this factor in mind. If you do it blindly, you could wind up spending extra money or using more energy than you really need to be, making ongoing costs that much higher.
If you purchase an air conditioning system that isn't powerful enough for the size of your home, it will have to constantly run to keep the home cool, which can greatly increase your energy usage, which will increase your energy costs. This will also prevent the air conditioning unit from the proper cycling that it requires to run most efficiently.
If you were to purchase an air conditioner unit that is too powerful for the amount of living space, then it wouldn't go through its proper cycle either. In fact, it would over-cycle. It wouldn't be running long enough to properly dehumidify the home. It would take less time to cool the house, but then the air conditioner would turn on and off more frequently.
For multi-level homes, it is suggested to have more then one unit for each floor. If you were to just have one on the bottom floor, it would be very costly for it to try and cool the upper level(s). Instead if you purchase one for each floor, they'll be able to run more efficiently and all areas of the home will be cool.
When air conditioners do not cycle properly, they aren't working as efficient as they could be. It also increases the chance that your system will need repairs. Air Conditioner Sizing is important for a number of reasons. Not only will it make all the difference in its ability to cool a home, but if you buy a unit that is having to run constantly, you risk the need for repairs a lot more often than if you had just chosen the proper air conditioner size.
