It depends on much more than square footage. The right size comes from a load calculation (the industry standard is ACCA Manual J) that accounts for insulation, windows and which way they face, air leakage, ceiling height, the number of people in the home and your local climate. A home in St. George needs far more cooling than the same home in a mountain town, and the mountain home needs far more heat. At altitude, gas equipment also loses capacity, which has to be factored in.

Sizing matters. An oversized system short-cycles, wears out sooner, leaves humidity behind and heats or cools unevenly. An undersized one runs nonstop and can’t keep up on the hottest or coldest days. Replacing a system with the same size it had before is a common mistake, especially after windows, insulation or an addition have changed the home.

Element sizes every new system before we install it. Our St. George & Hurricane team installs furnaces and air conditioners, and our Durango team installs boilers and radiant heat.