When the time comes for a new air conditioning installation Toronto homeowners are typically at a loss to determine the size of the system they’ll need. Some revert to using free online tools to try and find an answer. But such tools can’t really account for all the variables in your home and besides, they have plenty of disclaimers in place in case the software screws up. The best way forward is to hire a reputable Toronto HVAC company to do the installation although it can still be useful to have some idea how they arrive at their conclusions. So below we’ll take a quick look at the process they use and the factors they weigh when making their determination.
Determining an Appropriate Air Conditioning Installation
If you install an air conditioning system that’s too small it will be perpetually overworked and breaking down. In addition, your home may never reach the desired temperature. Conversely, an air conditioner that’s too large will be cycling on and off constantly which can damage the compressor. Maybe more importantly you’ll be wasting money on capacity you’ll never use.
Therefore determining the right size air conditioner for your home is important. Here are some of the factors that go into determining just what the “right size” means:
● Total cubic footage (or cubic meters) of your home.
● The number, size, condition, and orientation of all windows.
● The amount of shade your home receives from trees or other buildings.
● The number of registers and their distribution.
● The type and amount of insulation in the walls.
● The degree to which your attic is insulated.
● The total areas of all sun-facing walls.
● The state of your current ductwork.
● The number of occupants.
● The age of your home.
The weighing of all these variables to come up with the right size air conditioner is called the “heat load calculation”. It takes years of training and experience to determine how each of these variables will influence the size of an air conditioning installation. In addition, there are climate variables involved that change from region to region and will impact the final determination.
Heat Gain
The purpose of the heat load calculation is ultimately to determine your home’s “heat gain”. Heat gain is how fast your home gains heat after being cooled. As a general rule, the more rapid the heat gain the more capacity your air conditioning installation will need to keep up with it.
Heat Gain is typically calculated using the following 6-step process:
1. Calculate the total volume of the home and multiply by 31.25.
2. Determine heat gain through windows (different windows have different multiples).
3. Determine the heat generated by the home’s occupants assigning 600 BTU for each person.
4. Calculate heat generated by any computers, ovens, and the like and multiply by 3.4.
5. Determine the total wattage of lights and multiply by 4.25.
6. Add all of these numbers together to determine a preliminary figure.
As mentioned earlier other factors will also come into play, like insulation and the condition of your ductwork, before a final determination can be made regarding the right size air conditioner for your home.
Determining the appropriately sized air conditioner for your home is a process best left to experienced pros like those at Toronto Heating and Air Conditioning. We have decades of combined experience that we bring to bear on every Toronto Air conditioning (AC) Unit installation project so that our customers get exactly the product or service they need; nothing more, nothing less. Call us today on 647-955-8625 to discuss options regarding a new air conditioner installation and put your mind at rest about the process.
For over 30 years, Tropic Air Heating and Air Conditioning has provided affordable Airconditioning and furnace repair and installation services in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We have earned our reputation as a leading home heating, furnace, and air conditioning company in Toronto by prioritizing quality and exceeding customer expectations. Our focus is on customer satisfaction, offering prompt emergency services for boiler repairs, furnace repairs, tankless water heater repairs, and air conditioner services and installations.
