When shopping for clothes or shoes, we usually consider a lot of things such as the design, material, and even the brand name. However, if the fit isn’t right, it would be uncomfortable to wear it no matter how good the quality is. The same thing can be said when purchasing a new cooling and heating equipment for your Texas home. Using an HVAC system that isn’t fitted to the size of your house can cause inconvenience instead of providing you comfort as it’s designed to do. The solution? Call an expert for a professional Manual J load calculation in Texas to determine the HVAC system that’s right for your place. “What is a Manual J calculation?”, you may ask. Well, Manual J is a procedure developed by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) that is used to accurately size up the heating and cooling required to keep a residential or commercial building comfortable.
Rules of thumb can’t be relied on when it comes to load calculations because it is based on the square footage of the conditioned area alone. Manual J load calculation on the other hand considers a lot of factors in order to accurately determine the comfort system requirement of a structure. These factors include cubic footage, orientation and landscaping of a building, local climate, window types and their location, insulation levels, duct leakage, number of occupants, and even the heat-producing appliances.
In this article, we’ll talk about 3 benefits of doing a Manual J load calculation especially in states like Texas which have subtropical and arid climates.
Enhances Indoor Air Quality and Comfort
Most would say that bigger is always better, but not in the case of air conditioning, heating, and cooling. You see, a bigger HVAC system only wastes energy. How so? Because an oversized system cools your house faster, it will turn off and turn on too frequently without completing its cycle, otherwise known as short cycling. This results in more energy consumption which translates to higher utility bills for you, not to mention the fact that bigger HVAC units are more expensive to install. An undersized HVAC system on the other hand needs to exert more effort to warm up or cool down a home which leads to the same result as an oversized unit: higher bills to pay.
Manual J calculation helps you pick the right size of the HVAC system that should be installed to obtain optimum efficiency and lower energy bills.
Equipment Reliability
As previously mentioned, an oversized heating and cooling equipment short cycles, while an undersized equipment gets overused. These cause the unit to have a shorter lifetime and solicit problems like costly repairs or replacements. Having a properly sized system that is proportionate to the cooling and heating needs of your home can save you from these troubles.
Enhances Indoor Air Quality and Comfort
Improper sizing also affects the air conditioning function of an HVAC system which is important for good indoor air quality. Because an improperly sized equipment brings about reduced airflow and inefficient moisture removal, mildew and molds may start to grow and thrive. So not only will it make your house clammy, but it will also cause health hazards. The right HVAC system can dehumidify and filter the air properly making your home comfortable and mold free.
We at Source2Load Engineering and Consulting can perform professional load calculations for you so that you too can experience these benefits from your HVAC system. As licensed MEP Engineers, you can rest assured knowing that we are experienced and knowledgeable in this field. We offer load calculation services all over Texas, Alabama, Florida and Louisiana for both residential and commercial buildings. We are using Elite RHVAC program for residential and Elite CHVAC program for commercial – world premier Manual J calculation software approved by ACCA. For any inquiries about the services we offer, call us at (713) 497-5114 or send us an email at info@source2load.com.
