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Your HVAC system plays an important role in keeping your home comfortable throughout the year. An HVAC system that’s sized appropriately for your Westminster, Maryland, home not only promotes this comfort but also maximizes energy efficiency. Learn how poor temperature control and reduced HVAC system operating efficiency are some ways that incorrect HVAC sizing can affect your home’s comfort.

Poor Temperature Control

Poor temperature control is one of the most common problems that an incorrectly sized HVAC system creates. If the HVAC system is too small to handle a home’s heating and cooling needs, it will not effectively direct cool or warm air where it’s needed. This cooling or heating inefficiency can cause rooms to be too cold or too hot.

In contrast, an HVAC system that is too large presents another concern for homeowners. In fact, an oversized HVAC system may contribute to poorer temperature control and unfavorable humidity and temperatures inside a home when compared to an undersized system. As a result, a homeowner could encounter overall uneven hot and cold spots throughout the home.

Uneven Distribution of Climate-Controlled Air

When your HVAC system isn’t the right size for your home, it can cause an uneven distribution of climate-controlled air. For example, a smaller HVAC system may need to operate constantly to reach the temperature you set on your thermostat.

An oversized HVAC system, however, could result in continual short cycling. Short cycling occurs when an HVAC system turns off before it completes its operating cycle. Since an oversized HVAC system is able to cool and heat more air than your home requires, the system will shut off early once its sensors indicate that your house has reached the temperature set on your thermostat.

Incorrectly sized HVAC systems tend to heat or cool only the areas around the vents themselves, not areas throughout the home. A correctly sized HVAC system, however, will operate only for the length of time needed to effectively cool or heat a house, which gives the air plenty of time to circulate throughout the rooms of a home.

Reduced HVAC System Operating Efficiency

Incorrectly sized HVAC systems also contribute to reduced operating efficiency. Whether the system is short-cycling or running all the time as described above, it’s not operating as effectively as it should be. As a result, the system will consume more energy, which can result in reduced operating efficiency.

Homeowners with HVAC systems that are too small for their homes may try to compensate for the lack of climate control by using floor fans or installing ductless mini-split units for supplemental cooling. While using supplementary climate control devices can help address temperature and humidity concerns, they can also use more energy than needed, which can impact a home’s energy costs.

Lack of Air Circulation

If your HVAC system is too small or too large, you won’t receive the correct air circulation needed to make your home comfortable. HVAC systems that are too small for a home’s needs aren’t able to direct cool or warm air to areas of the home that are farther from the central unit, which can leave these areas with stagnant, stuffy air and higher levels of indoor humidity.

In contrast, oversized HVAC systems also create air circulation problems due to short-cycling. When the airflow stops as soon as it begins, the HVAC system isn’t able to effectively move the temperature-controlled air throughout your home. As a result, the lack of free-flowing air movement inhibits air circulation.

Lack of Cooling and Heating Due to System Breakdowns

When an incorrectly sized HVAC system has to work harder than necessary to operate, this prolonged strain can take its toll on the system’s parts. Over time, this strain can result in unanticipated system breakdowns that require heating and air conditioning repairs.

To determine whether your HVAC system is correctly sized for your home, contact our Griffith Energy Services, Inc. HVAC professionals today. We can help you evaluate your existing HVAC system and install a new heater and air conditioner that will better meet your home’s comfort needs.

Image via Pexels by Curtis Adams

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