Replacing a furnace may be one of the largest home expenses you may face as a homeowner and you will want to make sure it is the safest, most environmentally friendly, and easy on the electric bill. To do this contact a certified HVAC technician to ensure your new furnace is correctly sized to your home.Size does matter

  • Too small: A furnace that is too small will run up the electric bill as it works overtime to heat the space. You are much more likely to experience rooms that are either too hot or too cold. You may feel that your home never really get cool on those hot Los Angeles days.
  • Too large: A too large furnace is also inefficient. It may require larger than necessary ducting which may leak and be a waste of energy.
  • Just right: With a furnace correctly sized to your home, you will be assured that it is working with maximum efficiency and that your family’s living areas will be comfortable.

How is a furnace sized?

Manual J calculations:  A heating professional will perform a Manual J calculation for your home.  This involves figuring out the heat lost and gained for each room of the house in a worst case scenario (extreme conditions).

To do this he will use a standardized worksheet from the government. This calculation requires very specific information about your home including the local climate; the size, shape and orientation of the house; air leakage; the amount of insulation; window area and glazing; the type of lighting and major home appliances; and even the number and ages of household members.

Replacing your old furnace with one that is the most efficient for the size of your home is one of the most important things you can do for the comfort of your family and your wallet. Contact us at Around The Clock Heating & Air Conditioning for any questions you may have on replacing your furnace. We have been serving Los Angeles and Ventura County for more than 45 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about sizing your furnace and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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