When you’re thinking about purchasing an air-conditioning system, the first thing to do is determine the size you need. This will help keep your Long Island home comfortable and your energy bills low.

The biggest mistake people make is oversizing. You might assume that getting a bigger unit will keep you more comfortable. But while a unit that’s too big for your home may cool your rooms quickly, it can create problems.

An oversized system will shut down after the temperature has been reached, just like any other air conditioner. But if it shuts down too fast, the air system will not have time to dehumidify, and you will feel uncomfortable. The air will be clammy, and you will instinctively want to turn the air conditioner back on. This will cause you to be uncomfortable or force the system to work inefficiently for long periods of time. You will be paying more on your energy bills — just another way that improper sizing will make you pay.

A system that is too small will not comfortably cool all the parts of your home. You will find that rooms farther from the supply ducts will be warmer than other areas of your home.

Proper sizing requires a trained HVAC contractor who knows the proper methods for determining what sort of cooling and heating output you need. You cannot simply look at your current system and go with the same size. Many old air conditioners are much weaker and less efficient than modern models, so that can be misleading.

If you have any other questions about sizing for your air-conditioning needs, please contact T.F. O’Brien Heating and Cooling today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about efficient air conditioning systems and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

T.F. O’Brien services the Long Island, New York area. To get started, get a quote from us or check out our special offers.