Professionals Weigh In On the Top Things to Consider For Your Residential HVAC System
Choosing heating and cooling equipment for your home isn’t a simple decision. In fact, if you don’t have experience in the HVAC industry, it’s hard to know what to look for when choosing your system. Even with the wealth of information available online, it still takes a professional evaluation to identify what will work best for your home and the St. Louis climate.
Meyer Heating & Air crunches the numbers and solves the mathematical equations to help homeowners prepare for HVAC installations in St. Louis. As an authorized dealer of Ruud equipment, we can guide you to the right HVAC system for your home while helping you solve for energy efficiency, size, features, and more. Keep reading to find out how to choose the right residential HVAC equipment.
Sizes Of HVAC System For St. Louis Homes
A system that is too small to adequately heat and cool your home will be overworked, impacting its longevity, energy-efficiency, and increasing the likelihood of needing regular HVAC maintenance or repairs. To the other extreme, a unit that is much too big for your home can lead to inconsistent heating and cooling and will expend more energy than necessary, sinking your energy efficiency and increasing your bills.
The size of your home will influence the system size. You can calculate the correct size, or tonnage, of an air conditioner based on BTUs, a thermal unit measured per hour.
For air conditioners, a smart rule of thumb is calculating 20 BTUs per square footage of your home, which will give you an idea of the appropriate cooling capacity you need for your system. Multiply your home’s square footage by 20 to get an estimate of the BTU value you need.
Twelve-thousand BTUs per hour is equivalent to one ton of cooling capacity. A house with a square footage of 1,200 translates to 24,000 BTUs and would therefore require a two-ton AC unit. If your calculation falls between whole numbers, always round up to the nearest ton to ensure your chosen HVAC system can produce adequate cooling for the space you need.
For a heating estimate, a general rule is estimating 30 to 60 BTUs per square foot of your home. However to calculate a more accurate number, multiply your household square footage by your climate heating zone. The St. Louis metro has a designated climate heating zone rating of 7, so in order to get an accurate figure, multiply your home square footage by 7. A St. Louis house with a square footage of 1,200 would require 8,400 BTUs or more to efficiently heat the home.
Energy Efficiency
Energy-efficient systems use less energy to keep your home comfortable. When searching for an HVAC system for your home, look for an air conditioner with a high SEER rating and a furnace with a high AFUE rating. An energy-efficient residential HVAC system can improve your environmental impact, but also save money on your bills.
SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio and refers to the cooling output divided by the total energy to determine the energy efficiency of an air conditioner. The less energy required to operate the AC, the higher the SEER rating. A rating of 16 or higher is considered energy efficient.
AFUE stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency and is a measure of the heat output of a furnace divided by the total energy needed to power the furnace. AFUE is measured in percentage, with a value of 94 to 98.5% AFUE deemed as highly energy efficient.
HVAC System Add-Ons
Modern residential HVAC systems can have all the bells and whistles imaginable. With features such as smart technology, variable-speed fans, and improved indoor air quality benefits, consider all the possibilities you might want when selecting a new system!
Whole-home air purification systems work with your HVAC system to clean and refresh your air, leading to better indoor air quality. These systems, such as Sanuvox, eliminate 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, VOCs, pollen, dander, and other contaminants from the air. Your family can feel healthier and breathe more easily as a result.
A smart thermostat is a Wi-Fi enabled controller for your residential HVAC system. It automatically adjusts your home’s temperature settings to optimize efficiency of your heater or air conditioner. You can even control it when you’re away from home through a connected smartphone app. Although smart thermostats can be an investment, homeowners often find that they save money on heating and cooling bills.
Local Fuel Sources
Upgrading to a new heating system is a great way to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Not only does Meyer Heating & Air perform new equipment installations featuring top-tier systems, but we also help you protect your investment with regular maintenance throughout the year. If you need reliable heating and cooling services in Jennings, MO or prompt HVAC services in Ballwin, our team is ready to assist. Call us today at (314) 845-1929 to secure your booking and ensure your year-round comfort.