Too much of anything is rarely good. Too large a load in your washing machine and you could end up doing your laundry at a laundromat. Too large a workload and you’ll end up losing your mind with stress. Too light of a load can be just as bad since you won’t get anything done. The same truth carries over to the HVAC load of your Opelika, Alabama, home. If you want to enhance your energy efficiency, understand and make the most of your HVAC load.
What Are HVAC Loads?
It may not have been listed on the brochure when you first viewed your home, but your home’s heating and cooling load is important to your comfort and efficiency. A “load” refers to the amount of heating or cooling a building needs. This calculation, determined by an HVAC technician, takes into account not only square footage but also the shapes of your rooms.
Every HVAC system has a load capacity, or the amount of heating and cooling an HVAC system can provide. When your home was built, HVAC load was hopefully taken into account when the system was first installed, but that unfortunately isn’t always the case.
HVAC Loads and Energy Efficiency
The capacity of an HVAC system and its relationship to the heating and cooling load of the home isn’t always taken into consideration when installed in a new building. A system that’s too large for its load will short cycle, causing it to spend most of its time in its start-up stage, which consumes the most power. Plus, a large unit will draw more power than you need.
A small system, however, won’t be able to maintain efficient comfort, especially in extreme heat or cold. The strain will also cause these systems to lose efficiency and even malfunction.
Don’t let the mistakes of others ruin your efficiency. If you’re concerned that your HVAC system may not be properly fitted to the load of your home, call Sensigreen Heating & Air at (334) 366-9237.
Image provided by Shutterstock
