7 Reasons Why Big is Not Always Great For Your HVAC Needs

HVAC systems are available in a variety of sizes. The size of the unit to be installed in your Northern California residence will depend on multiple factors; mainly the size of your house and the areas or number of rooms that need heating and cooling.

Homeowners are often tempted to buy big units, thinking that these will be more efficient and provide better cooling or heating. Unfortunately, if you get the wrong sized unit for your home, you will receive exactly the opposite. A unit that is too big for your house will not provide the air conditioning you require.

The correct capacity and design will provide your house with comfortable indoor air in every season without overworking the system or increasing your utility bills.

Here are a few reasons why getting an over-sized HVAC unit can do you more harm than good.

1. The unit will go through short-cycling

This means that the unit will turn ON and OFF frequently. Whether it’s your furnace or air conditioner, constant ignition and switching off will consume more fuel or electricity and over-work the system, leading to early wear and tear.

2. Frequent breakdowns

With this early wear and tear of the parts, it is highly likely that your system will breakdown often due to malfunctioning or broken components; which you will have to repair or replace at a high cost. This is not only expensive but also inconvenient if the system breaks down just when you need it the most.

3. High energy bills

Of course, with constant ON and OFF, and being over-worked, the system will consume way more energy than required and send your monthly utility bills soaring. You will not have the option of shutting down the system either because you need the conditioned air in the house.

4. Temperature and humidity issues

The short cycling of the system, due to the wrong size and capacity, causes fluctuations in temperature. You may also experience hot and cool zones around the house and no uniform temperature.

In addition to this, over-sized units do not run long enough to remove the moisture from indoor air. Humidity levels in the house will thus, be high and result in poor air quality. This is harmful to residents as well as to your furniture and home décor.

5. Reduced equipment life

The right sized unit will last you well for about 20 years, if maintained and serviced regularly. But an over-sized unit will have parts failing often and reduce the life of the system to maybe just 10 years. This will be a big loss on your HVAC investment.

6. Expensive maintenance

A larger unit will definitely cost more. But it will not give you comfortable indoor air and you will also have to spend a lot, frequently, on maintenance and repairs. In short, you will be over-spending and will still not reap the benefits.

7. Noise

A large HVAC unit is quite loud and the sound it makes while turning ON and OFF all day will be a nuisance.