Did you know that an A/C unit that’s too big for your home can actually cause problems? Here are the warning signs:
Warning sign #1 is that your cooling bills are higher than usual.
That’s because, if your A/C unit is too big, it actually has to work harder to cool down your home. That means it expends more energy, which in turn translates to higher bills.
You might be wondering, “Why the heck would a bigger A/C need to work harder? Wouldn’t it just make things easier?” No, because if your A/C is too big, it quickly cools down your home, turns off, then has to turn on again soon. So it’s constantly starting and stopping, which causes higher bills and also more wear-and-tear on the system. Generally, if your A/C cycle (how long it’s on) lasts less than 7 to 10 minutes, then it’s “short cycling.” A bigger than necessary system may be the cause.
Warning sign #2 is that your home has a lot of humidity and feels muggy inside.
Like we said before, an oversized A/C unit is constantly stopping and starting, which means it doesn’t have time to perform the secondary essential function of an A/C: dehumidifying your home! A humid home is not only uncomfortable, but a prime spot for mold to grow.
Warning sign #3 is that some areas in your home are unexpected “hot spots.”
That’s because an oversized A/C unit will just blow a cold air stream through the house, so it won’t be able to cool down some rooms. The fact that it’s constantly stopping and starting contributes to this, as well. Again, as ironic as it seems, a too-large A/C unit does the job worse, not better.
And last but not least, bonus warning sign #4! You had inexperienced HVAC technicians doing your consultation, inspection and installation.
What we mean by that is, if you’re already experiencing some of these other signs pointing to an oversized A/C, and you also didn’t have a great experience with the company that installed it – there’s a very good chance that company could have installed the wrong-size A/C unit for your home. Experienced technicians know how to perform what’s called a “cooling load calculation.” What does that mean? It’s a calculation that estimates the size of your home, how much insulation it has, and what type of windows are in use. If you had A/C unit installed without this done, then chances are good that company didn’t do their homework before they just “winged” the installation.
Having the right size A/C unit is important not only because it will be less expensive and more energy-efficient, but also because you won’t feel like your air conditioner has to work so hard to keep your home cool.
So, we recommend using the very experienced technicians at H.A. Sun instead, who know how to use Manual J – the official protocol that correctly calculates cooling load. Our HVAC technicians are NATE-certified and have the years of experience necessary to get service done right! If you’re in the Oakland County area, make the right choice and contact us online or simply call us: (248) 986-1506
