Whether you rent or own, it’s essential to fully understand your home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
Many people know that HVAC systems are useful for managing the temperature of a space, but they also maintain your home’s air quality. Proper ventilation, which involves an exchange of indoor and outdoor air and helps reduce humidity, keeps you and your family healthy. It also ensures that your home doesn’t develop moisture or mould problems down the road.
It’s clear that a good HVAC system is important for any living space. So, how do you know what size HVAC unit you need? Let’s look at how to calculate what size is best for your home.
Determine the Square Footage
The first step is to determine the square footage of the area you want the HVAC unit to cover. Instead of guessing, try to measure the space as accurately as possible. A unit that is too small will have trouble regulating the temperature of your entire living area. At the same time, one that is too big can operate inefficiently, wasting money and energy.
Sometimes, the square footage is provided when you initially rent or buy a home. However, you can easily determine the square footage yourself if necessary. Simply measure the length and width of each room in feet. Then, multiply the length by the width. For example, if one room measures 10 feet by 12 feet, multiply 10×12 – the room is 120 square feet.
Though calculating square footage is easy, some rooms can be challenging because of their shape. If you have an oddly shaped room, divide it into sections and find the area of one section at a time. Then, add the results of each section.
If all of this sounds too complicated or time-consuming, the knowledgeable specialists at Canada HVAC can help you understand your home’s needs.
Find the Base BTU
The second step is to determine the base British Thermal Unit (BTU), which is the unit for measuring the energy used for heating and cooling. Furnaces are rated by how much heat they produce per hour, while air conditioners are rated by how much heat they remove.
The approximate energy per square foot needed to cool a home is 10-15 BTUs. So, multiply the number of square feet in your home by 10-15 to get the base BTU measurement. This method provides an estimate for what size HVAC you should consider.
However, many factors influence the energy needed to heat or cool a space, such as the direction your building or house faces, how well it is insulated and how high the ceiling is. For example, if a ceiling is over eight feet high, the base BTU should be multiplied by 1.25, or 25%.
The climate you live in can also impact the energy required to regulate temperature and humidity in your home. This is one of the benefits of speaking with a professional about your HVAC installation. At Canada HVAC, our experienced specialists can answer your questions about how climate or any other factor affects what size HVAC you need.
Quality HVAC Systems in Canada
Canada HVAC has over 30 years of industry experience and is your premier source for quality HVAC systems. We will also connect you with professional and licensed technicians to ensure your HVAC installation is done properly.
Get in touch today using our online contact form or call us at 1-888-CAN-HVAC (226-4822) to speak with our HVAC experts.
