The size will depend on how efficient your house is. If you are having a new house built then you will have a set of plans and title 24. Title 24 is part of the building code and it is a set of regulations that tell you what you can put in your structure.IE; insulation windows, lights, etc; etc; etc;. You get the idea. The other thing it tells you is the size of the heater and air conditioner you will use.
I think this is a good time to explain how Air Conditioning works. http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/how_it_works/air_conditioner.html This link will give you more info if needed. but in simple terms, it removes heat inside your house and moves it to outside. This is why they make you put in double pane windows. insulate your walls and attic and build an air tight envelope. It is all for slowing down the heat that is conducting (moving) through your ceiling and walls into your house. Lets face it, if you didn't have stucco and drywall your house would never cool. In the fifty's and sixty's that is all you had. In the seventy they started using insulation and started down sizing the units. with the cost of electricity this is a good thing.
Now here is the problem as I see it.All things being equal. Using a rule of thumb to size your air conditioning needs will till you that a 1600 square foot house will need a 3 ton unit. You do the title 24 calculation and it will till you that you only need a 2 3/4 ton, the thing is you have to buy a 2 1/2 or a 3 ton unit. So you spent $800.00 to $1500.00 dollars to use the same unit you would have before the requirement.
I know that is not always the way it goes but I would say it is more often that not. I also know that a three ton unit in Palm Springs will not produce the same cooling as in Monterey but the sizing for your area and the design temperatures will change.
If you have questions or commits you can e-mail me at dcouch@thermalcool.com
No comments:
Post a Comment