How Big of an Air Conditioner do I Need?
Wow, that is a loaded question! The answer is, it depends. On what, exactly? A lot of things. It depends on things like
What part of the country you live in. Are you in swampy Louisiana, the desert of Arizona, or temperate San Diego?
How many windows you have, which way they face, how efficient they are, and if you have trees or a roof overhang
How well insulated your house is
The air tightness of your home and duct system
How many people live in the home and how many saltwater fish tanks you have
The video below provides a 3D animation of what all goes into calculating the heating and cooling gains and losses in a residential home. Hopefully it will give you a deeper appreciation for the amount of work required to properly size a heating and cooling system. Do you need a manual J load calculation done on your home? Again, the answer is it depends. If you have comfort problems with your home like high humidity, hot and cold spots, etc. then it may well be worth the investment.
-Matt Bruner
