Heat Pump Size: Proper Calculation is the Key to Efficiency

Heats pumps are a great choice for keeping Florida homes comfortable year-round. They can provide efficient cooling in the summer and super efficient heating in the winter. Heat pump size is important for getting the best performance, so you’ll want make sure you work with a contractor that will size it correctly.

Even though heat pumps can provide both heating and cooling, it is your home’s cooling loads that should be used to size it. With our warm climate, it’s likely this sizing method will result in a heat pump that is large enough to meet your heating needs on the vast majority of winter days, but in other climates the heat pump may have to resort to backup heating elements on significant number of days.

The reason heat pumps should be sized based on the cooling loads is that even though backup heating elements are much less efficient, heat pumps that are over-sized relative to a home’s cooling loads result in even greater energy losses over the course of the summer. This is due to the fact that they don’t have to run as long to cool your home. Turning on and off frequently is less efficient than running for longer periods and removes less humidity, which further reduces efficiency.

To determine your home’s cooling load, your contractor should preform a detailed calculation based on the process laid out in Manual J from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA). This will ensure every factor is taken into account to provide an accurate result. The same process should be used for your home’s heating load to determine the size of backup heating element that will be needed.

If you have any questions about heat pump size or need a contractor that will ensure you get optimal performance from your new heat pump, contact the pros at Preferred Air Conditioning & Mechanical, LLC for an evaluation of your home’s heating and cooling loads. We have been providing residents and businesses of Port St. Lucie, Palm Beach, Delray and the surrounding areas with quality, affordable HVAC solutions since 1991.