HRAI Heat Loss/Heat Gain Calculations

Heating

If your new furnace is too small, it will run constantly and simply won't be able to keep up with the demand placed on it to heat your home. If your new furnace is too big, it becomes extremely inefficient. Forget about what kind of rating it has, now that rating means nothing. A larger than necessary furnace uses far more fuel than needed, it runs a lot less than it should (a bad thing) and it costs you more to purchase in the first place. The negative result of running infrequently comes from the fact that the furnace, after being idle for long intervals, now has to use fire itself up, heat itself up, then start to heat your house. Every single cycle!

A furnace that is too small is not a smart purchase.
A furnace that is too big is not a smart purchase.
A furnace that is sized exactly to your home is a smart purchase.

Be an informed consumer; have a Heat Loss Calculation performed by a CHAPIN Certified Advisor.

Cooling

If your new air conditioner is too small, again it will not be able to meet the demands placed on it, it will run constantly, and you will be utterly frustrated, having spent good money for little to no result, living in the discomfort of all that heat and humidity! If your air conditioner is too big, again not a good idea, it will run very infrequently, costing you more to run, and more to purchase. The negative result of running infrequently comes from the fact that the air conditioner after being idle for long intervals, now has to use fire itself up, so to speak, cool itself down, then start to cool your house. Therefore wasting energy, your money, every time it turns off.

An air conditioner that is too small is not a smart purchase.
An air conditioner that is too big is not a smart purchase.
An air conditioner that is sized exactly to your home is a smart purchase.

Be an informed consumer; have a Heat Gain Calculation performed by a
CHAPIN Certified Advisor.