The importance of having the right heat pump size for your home cannot be overstated. For example, if you have an undersized heat pump, it will overwork, constantly break down, incur high operating costs, and yet be insufficient in heating your home. On the other hand, an oversized one will burn excessive power and produce unneeded energy.
Not using the right heat pump size can make your home feel less like a home. However, you can find an incredibly efficient heat pump, an all-in-one cooling, and heating system, by finding the one with the appropriate capacity for your requirements. This article tends to factor in critical issues you must consider when looking for how to size a heat pump.
A simple illustration of what it’s like to have the wrong heat pump
The exact effect of having an undersized or oversized heat pump is like this; you end up paying higher utility costs and avoidable repair costs. A unit that is too small will overwork itself, struggle to give you enough heat, and to meet the higher demands, it will work more than it ought to, thereby generating more costs and energy. On the other hand, when you have a too-large unit, it will produce excess energy, resulting in a waste of money and power.
It further results in an unprecedented increase in the on-and-off cycling mechanism. Thereby putting more pressure on the motor blower and might overload it. When there is discomfort, it causes sharp fluctuations in temperature. Hence, you will find it difficult to control indoor humidity; hence, the life cycle of the whole system is shortened.
Here is how to size a heat pump for your house
There is a standard generally used, which the Air Conditioning Contractors of America established, and it is called Manual J. This method involves calculating the amount of conditioned air each room requires for cooling and heating by carefully sizing each room in your apartment. It takes into consideration eight different factors to determine the needed heat pump size for your home.
The first thing to consider is the local climate. The geographical division of The United States into climatic regions has been summarized into:
● The first one comprises most of the southern regions of the United States and includes New Orleans, Miami, and Houston.
● The second zone includes most of the southern cities of Atlanta, Little Rock, and coastal California.
● The third zone includes the States of Virginia and extends to Kansas and Missouri,
● The fourth climate zone includes New York, Boston, and Chicago.
● The fifth and last zone is the northernmost, and it comprises Minneapolis and Buffalo.
The second factor to consider is the home’s layout, which includes measuring the square footage and the shape of rooms in the house.
The number of windows also must be considered. More windows mean that there are more avenues for heat to leak out. And new windows are generally more heat conserving than old windows. The location of the windows with the direction of the wind is also important. This can be used to determine how much air infiltration occurs and how to make necessary adjustments.
You must also consider the insulation rate of the home and determine whether or not it meets the region’s efficiency rating. For example, storied buildings are generally more insulated than others; the old roof is generally more posed to retain heat from sunlight than new ones.
Another important factor to consider is how many people live in the apartment. For instance, the human body releases heat. It may be assumed that where more people live, the less heat pump energy it will require to heat it.
It would be best to consider your style of living, personal heat preferences, and the availability of other appliances in the home that generate heat.
All these factors are dynamic, and while considering them, they differ from person to person and place to place. There is also a general standard that is widely accepted. But discretion is essential, as no standard can be good enough for everybody. This rule of thumb states that for every 500-600 square feet of conditioned floor area, One ton of air conditioning capacity should be installed; it could then be very logical that since most sizes of heat pumps are gauged by the British Thermal Unit (BTU), one ton is worth 12.000 BTU, then 12.000BTU per 500-6000 square feet is the general raw standard.
Once you have considered all the factors above and determined the right heat pump size for your home, there are still other things you should put in view. Of course, you want a reasonable price, but you must note that higher upfront spending is worth it because it saves you higher operating costs during the service life of your unit.
Therefore, make sure you also look out for the following:
- Blower motor type: There are fixed speed, variable speed, and multi-speed blower motors. It affects the efficiency of the heat pump and necessarily its ability to proffer comfort.
- Energy efficiency ratings: Go for units with higher ratings. This is because the higher the ratings, the better the efficiency of your unit. (SEER AND HSPF)
- Compressor type: There are two types of compressors: the two-stage type and the single-stage type. The main difference is that the single-stage type only heats and cools at full blast. On the other hand, the two-stage works on two different levels.
For further clarifications and explanations on the differences in the factors listed above, you can always inquire from your supplier or Clover Services for professional assistance.
Conclusion
Do not forget that determining your right pump size might look complex, but your comfort is guaranteed if you consider all the facts and factors discussed here. It is vital to consider not only the types and makers of your unit and sub-unit but also the environmental and human factors.