How Do You Know What Size Heat Pump Is Right?

Posted on: 7 August 2016

Several factors help determine what size heat pump is best for your home. You will need to match the proper tonnage just as you do with an air conditioning unit. When choosing the correct unit for your home, it is important to not oversize the pump. If you do oversize the unit, the pump's efficiency will be reduced, and the initial costs are higher. These are a few ways to know how to size your heat pump.

Check Heating Temperatures in Your Location

To determine the temperature in your location, you should use an average of five years to calculate the temperature needs for your home. A heating element capacity chart is used by the professionals to determine which unit will work best in your area to ensure the unit is appropriately sized. In Florida, a study revealed a 13% higher electrical demand because of oversized heat pump units.

Compare Old and New Units

If you are replacing your heat pump, you can gauge whether you need a larger system than what you have currently installed. You can determine what size heat pump is currently installed by locating the manufacturer's plate. The plate is generally located where the coolant lines join the unit. For a rough estimate, a one-ton heat pump will cover approximately 600 to 650 square feet. You can begin with that estimate to decide how much larger the replacement should be to meet your home's needs.

Have the Correct BTUs

British Thermal Units (BTUs) are used as a guideline for measuring the heating and cooling system. The air conditioning equipment is measured using tons, with one ton equivalent to 12,000 BTUs. One study indicated heat pumps that were oversized up to 50% or more resulted in a 9% annual increase in electric usage. As the cost of energy increases, your comfort could be compromised.

Frequent Stopping and Starting Issues

If the unit isn't sized correctly, it will stop and start more often to keep the temperatures within the home level. This continuous stopping and starting of the heat pump can lead to premature failure. One failure would involve the excessive amount of fan power needed to run the blower.

This is one of the cases when bigger isn't better. You will be wasting energy and money if you have a unit that is too large for your home. It is advisable to have a local contractor to provide you with an analysis of what is good for your home. This job is probably not for you unless you have skills and understanding of how to correctly size the unit. 

Contact the best heating and air conditioning services in your area to get the help you need.

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