Are you tempted to replace your current cooling system with a larger air conditioner in hopes of keeping your Cheverly, Maryland, home cooler than ever? Not so fast. A bigger cooling system might seem like a good investment, but it can create both comfort and cost problems for your family. Learn how to tell if your air conditioner is too big, and discover some of the problems you’ll encounter with an oversized cooling system.
Your Air Conditioner Cycles Frequently
One of the most common signs of an overly large air conditioner is short cycling, which happens when your cooling system switches on frequently but doesn’t run for very long. When your air conditioner is too large for your home, it can cool the space quickly but tends to do so in short, frequent bursts.
Although rapid cooling might seem like a benefit, it’s actually a drawback for most homeowners. Short cycling forces your air conditioner to work harder than necessary and lowers efficiency, which affects your cooling system’s performance over time. In many cases, short cycling can lead to more frequent HVAC repairs and may even cause breakdowns.
You Regularly Notice Inconsistent Temperatures
If some rooms always seem too hot. While others seem too cool, there’s a good chance your air conditioner isn’t sized properly for your home. Since oversized air conditioners tend to short cycle, they often switch off as soon as they reach the temperature setting on the thermostat. However, these short cycles don’t always allow your air conditioner to cool rooms that aren’t right next to the thermostat.
Over time, inconsistent temperatures can lead to thermostat battles and might even lead you to supplement with extra fans or portable air conditioning units. Since these solutions can cause discomfort and unnecessary expense, the Griffith Energy Services team recommends professional cooling system design and installation to ensure that your air conditioner is sized properly.
Your Home Always Feels Too Humid
Uncomfortable temperature variations aren’t the only problems that oversized air conditioners can create. In many cases, they also cause humidity problems that can affect your entire home. Air conditioners are designed to moderate both temperature and moisture. Yet when an air conditioner short cycles, it reaches temperature quickly without addressing your home’s humidity level. That can leave your home feeling far too humid, which can also make the temperature seem higher than it actually is.
In some cases, adding a whole-home dehumidifier to your HVAC system can address moisture issues and indoor air quality problems. For maximum comfort and HVAC efficiency, however, our team of cooling experts always recommends putting accurate air conditioner sizing first.
Your Utility Bills Seem Too High
If your utility bills just keep climbing higher, the cost of electricity may not be to blame. Instead, an oversized air conditioner can drive up your energy bills.
Short cycling can get expensive quickly. By design, air conditioners use a substantial amount of energy when they first turn on. After a minute or two, they typically reach peak efficiency, which they maintain through the rest of the cycle. When air conditioners short cycle, however, they frequently waste energy when starting up and may never reach optimal efficiency. That means you could keep paying for your oversized system with each monthly energy bill.
How to Avoid an Oversized Air Conditioner
To prevent humidity issues, high energy bills, short cycling, and inconsistent temperatures, our team strives to size your new air conditioner correctly. We rely on accurate load calculations to determine exactly how much cooling power your home needs to avoid installing oversized air conditioners.
To calculate cooling loads accurately, our HVAC technicians use the Manual J protocol, a standard in the air conditioning industry. We’ll consider the size of your home, its layout and orientation, the number of windows, the insulation level, and several other factors before designing the optimal air conditioner for your home. Thanks to our professional air conditioner installation services, you can rest assured that you’ll have your new cooling system on a schedule that works for your family.
Want to make sure your new air conditioner is the ideal size for your home? Contact your Cheverly cooling experts at Griffith Energy Services at 888-474-3391.
Image provided by Shutterstock
