A new furnace can be more efficient than an older, worn-down unit, allowing you to save money on monthly energy and gas costs. It can also help you to keep you more comfortable as technological upgrades have made today’s furnaces some of the most high-performance home comfort systems to hit the market. But if your furnace isn’t precisely the right size for your home, it may actually cause a lot of trouble. Be sure you work with trained professionals when it comes to any heating installation, and read on to find out which furnace is right for your home and why proper sizing is such a vital part of the job.
What Happens If Your Furnace Is the Wrong Size for Your Home?
Sizing has more of an effect on your home comfort than you may expect, not to mention an impact on your bills and the system itself. Whether it is too big or too small, you won’t get the heating power you deserve from a system that is improperly sized, which may also show signs of furnace trouble over time.
- Undersized: Although a small furnace costs less initially, this won’t do you much good if your home is too big for it. An undersized system will do a poor job of heating the room completely, and it will still use a whole lot of energy to try to get the room warmer, which is why proper furnace size matters.
- Oversized: You may think that a very large system will solve this problem, but one that is too large may “short cycle,” running frequently and for short periods which can wear down the parts.
How HVAC Professionals Determine the Right Furnace Size
Sizing a furnace for new installation is not as easy as it may seem. You cannot only calculate the square footage of a home and find a system that matches this measurement. Here are some other factors that also come into play.
- The size of the rooms
- Placement and location of windows
- Amount of insulation
- Number of people using the home
- Shading around the house
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How do I know what size furnace I need for my home?
Answer: The right furnace size depends on more than your home’s square footage, including room dimensions, insulation, window placement, occupancy, and surrounding shade. A professional heating technician can evaluate these factors and perform an accurate load calculation to determine the heating capacity your home requires.
Question: What happens if a furnace is too small for a house?
Answer: An undersized furnace may struggle to heat your home evenly and can run for long periods while trying to reach the thermostat setting. This increased workload can waste energy, reduce comfort, and place additional strain on the heating system over time.
Question: What happens if a furnace is too large for a home?
Answer: An oversized furnace can heat the home too quickly and shut off before completing a proper heating cycle, which can lead to frequent short cycling. Repeated short cycles can increase energy use, create uneven temperatures, and cause furnace components to wear out sooner.
Question: Can you size a furnace based only on square footage?
Answer: Square footage provides useful information, but it is not enough by itself to accurately size a furnace for a home. Factors such as insulation levels, window locations, room sizes, household occupancy, and local conditions also affect how much heating capacity the system needs.
Question: Why is proper furnace sizing important when installing a new system?
Answer: Proper furnace sizing helps the heating system maintain comfortable indoor temperatures without using unnecessary energy or placing excessive stress on its components. Choosing the correct capacity can also support better efficiency, more consistent heating, and longer equipment life after installation.
Contact Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning today to get in touch with friendly technicians in the Colorado Springs, CO area and to get started on installing (and sizing) your new furnace.
