Sizing a heat pump seems like a daunting task. How do I figure out how big a heat pump I need? How many BTUs do I need for my heat pump? Most of the time, you need a professional in HVAC to give you an estimate. We’ll make it easy for you to figure out what size heat pump you need from heat pumps Auckland. That will let everyone get a rough idea of how big the heat pump is (be it a mini-split heat pump or ground-source heat pump). We’ll do this in three important steps:
- First, we’ll look at how HVAC experts measure heat pumps (using 8 factors from Manual J; the method was established by Air Conditioning Contractors of America).
- Then we’ll give you an easy way to remember these 8 things with a rule of thumb (boiling down 8 complex rules into 1 simple general rule of thumb so that everybody can roughly estimate how big a heat pump they should get). We made the Heat Pump Size Calculator based on this (check further below; you just input square footage and ceiling height, and it will give you roughly BTU you need). We also gave you a table that shows how big your mini-split heat pump should be based on the size of your home.
- We’ll solve two examples to show how Heat Pump Size Calculator works, such as figuring out what size heat pumps you need for a 2,500-square-foot house.
- In the end, you should be able to roughly estimate (and figure out) how big a mini-split heat pump or a ground-source heat pump you need for your house.
- Note: These are just rough estimates that can help you figure out what size heat pump you need. A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) expert needs to come to your home to map it out, figure out your heating and cooling needs, and so on.
Let’s look at how HVAC experts measure a heat pump:
How HVAC Experts Figure Out The Size Of A Heat Pump?
Table of Contents
Every HVAC expert uses the same set of rules to figure out what size heat pump you need. When figuring out how big a heat pump should be, everyone knows to look at Manual J, which is the bible of HVAC sizing, and follow the 8 rules. When it comes to figuring out the right size for a heat pump, these eight rules cover all the main and secondary factors. They can be used to size both air-source heat pumps and ground-source heat pumps. Air-source heat pumps are mini-split heat pumps.
When sizing a heat pump, HVAC experts should follow these 8 rules or factors from Manual J:
Find out what the weather is like where you live and how often you need to heat or cool your home. If you live in Chicago, it goes without saying that you will need a bigger heat pump than if you live in Miami, Florida. In general, places with colder weather need more heat (measured in BTUs or kW).
The total square footage is one of the most important things to consider when deciding what size heat pump to buy. Think about how the rooms are set up and how the house is laid out as a whole.
