For many things in life, most people believe that the bigger something is, the better it is. Fast food restaurants have made a fortune off of this theory with three little words, “Make it a large?” to which many will answer, “Uh, yeah, sure.” If the fat and juicy cheeseburger meal is good, isn’t the super-sized fat and juicy meal even better? Unfortunately, bigger is not always better with everything. Air conditioners are one such example.
Not Cost Effective
Many people understandably think that having a larger air conditioner will mean that the unit has to run less, the compressor will “kick on” less often, and therefore, they will save on electricity costs. While the larger air conditioner will indeed run less, it does not save on the power bill; in fact, quite the opposite is true.
A larger air conditioner unit will actually stop and start more, as the compressor actually kicks on more often. This results in inefficiency in the way that the air conditioner unit runs.
More Expensive to Run
Even though a larger air conditioning unit may run less, it is actually more expensive to run. As already explained, the compressor will kick on much more often with a larger unit.
This is comparable with driving your car in the city versus driving on long trips. The constant starting and stopping of the car, and continued need to press the gas pedal, causes the gas mileage to be much worse in town than on long journeys. The same is true with an air conditioning unit. The less the “gas” has to be kicked on, the more efficient it is.
Results in Inefficiency
Of course, when anything is more expensive to run, it becomes inefficient. It is no different with an air conditioning unit. It takes about ten minutes for an air conditioner to reach its full efficiency. If the unit is constantly stopping and starting like a vehicle does in traffic, then it will not run efficiently. An air conditioner cannot actually begin to dehumidify a room until it has been running for about ten minutes. The humidity in the room is what actually makes it feel hotter in that room.
When the room is not dehumidified properly, you are more likely to turn the thermostat up “just a tad.” After all, if you’re going to pay more on the electric bill to have air conditioning, you might as well be comfortable, right? The catch here is that for each degree that you click that thermostat to run cooler, you pay 10 to 15% more in energy costs. This means that the larger unit is actually running less efficiently and costing you more.
Consult a Professional
In order to be sure that your AC unit will run as efficiently as possible for your SoCal and Los Angeles home, it is vital to get the correct sized unit. There are many factors to consider when choosing the size of your AC unit. The height of your ceilings, the square footage of your home, how well your home is insulated, and how many people live in the home must all be taken into consideration. The best way to be sure that you are choosing the right sized AC unit is to call a professional for guidance.