Is proper sizing important for an air conditioner?
Bigger isn’t better. Smaller isn’t cheaper. If an air conditioner is too small it won’t keep a house cool enough on hot days. If the air conditioner is too big it will cool the house too quickly without removing the humidity. This will make the house clammy and uncomfortable. The best comfort and efficiency are by a properly sized air conditioner. We recommend that an air conditioner be specified to maintain 20 degrees cooling below outside temperature. Therefore, the house should be able to maintain 70 degrees when it is 90 degrees outside. To properly size an air conditioner, a dealer should do a heat gain calculation. This is sometimes called a Manual J calculation. If a dealer does not do this calculation, you may want to consider a different dealer.
