Many of you remember Tim the Toolman Taylor’s “bigger is better..ararar” philosophy, but when it comes to your heating and air conditioning systems. Bigger is definitely NOT better.
Houses used to be less energy efficient, so to compensate for the lack of efficiency, many old-school HVAC contractors installed bigger furnaces and AC’s. As time goes on, many contractors fall back on those misguided philosophies.
When it comes to furnace replacements, many HVAC contractors install the same size or larger furnace without doing any kind of calculations and instead they go with the “bigger is better” philosophy. This can lead to efficiency and furnace/AC system longevity issues including:
Comfort: oversized equipment causes wider temperature swings. When an oversized unit starts up, it blasts heat (or cold) out of the registers. Keep in mind that the greater the oversize ratio is the larger the temperature swings.
Finances: Not only does the bigger system cost you more money during installation, but it can end up costing you more money due to increased cycling, loss of efficiency and life of the system.
Indoor air quality: oversized systems have shorter run-times which leads to reduced air filtration. Oversized air conditioners can lead to increased dust mites, mildew and in more humid locations – mold.
So what can you do? Make sure that your HVAC contractor is providing you with a load calculation. You may not understand CFM’s, variable speeds or the difference between an 80% or 90% efficiency furnace, but your contractor should be well versed. If you are working with a contractor who can’t give you a load calculation, contact a contractor who can. An HVAC contractor in the Northern Colorado area that is trained in and provides load calculations is Epic Heating & Air Conditioning – 970 581-3750.