What Size Heater Do I Need? [Furnace Purchasing Made Easy!]

You’ve made the decision to replace or install a heater, but what do you do now? How do you know what heater is the right size for your home? You don’t want to invest in a system that can’t perform for you, and it can be stressful to shop for big appliances like HVAC systems.

Luckily, Trahan’s Heating & Air Conditioning has your back. We believe in a comprehensive heater replacement service. That means we offer our help and advice every step of the way. If you aren’t sure how to choose the right heater size, our premier Houma heater services are the solution for you!

Why Is Heater Size Important?

For many homeowners, it makes sense to purchase the biggest heater you can afford. However, this tactic might not be the most effective or accurate for your home. The wrong size heater can have several consequences for your home.

• Uncomfortable temperatures
• Low airflow
• High energy use
• Humid air

The typical heart cycle is designed to give the system enough time to properly heat and filter your air. A heater that’s too small will run long cycles to try and keep up with the demand of your home. A heater that’s too big will run short, powerful cycles that produce heat quickly. However, these short cycles don’t leave enough time for dehumidification, and several short cycles use more energy to turn the system on and off.

Calculating The Right Sized Heater

The primary way to determine the right heater for your home is first figuring out how much heat you need your system to be able to produce. This is called the heat load calculation. The capability of a heater to produce a certain amount of heat is measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs). For the most precise calculation, you should have a professional assess your home. They take into account many factors that affect how your home retains or loses heat.

If you want to get a rough estimate of the heater size your home requires, there is a DIY heat load calculation you can use. First, you need the square footage of your home. This information can be found on the closing documents or blueprints for your home, but you can also manually measure the square footage. Once you have the square footage, multiply it by the average BTUs needed per square foot in the Southern Louisiana area: 35 BTUs.

(Square footage) X (35 BTUs) = Total BTUs Needed

Example:

(1,500 square feet) X (35 BTUs) = 52,500 BTUs

Heaters vs Furnaces

Now that you have the needed BTUs, you need to apply it to what kind of heating system you’re getting. The most common two are heaters as a part of an HVAC system and furnaces.

Heaters inside an HVAC system will be measured using tonnage. No, this is not how much the system weighs! Tons are simply a unit of measurement for heating and cooling systems. One ton of heating is equal to 12,000 BTUs.

(Total BTUs) / (12,000 BTUs) = Tons

Example:

(52,000 BTUs) / (12,000 BTUs) = 4+ tons

Furnaces will be measured in BTUs, but there is one more factor to be aware of: furnace input and output are two different things. Furnace input is the amount of energy (BTUs) that the system starts with, but during the heating process, some of it is lost as waste. All furnaces will have an efficiency rating that you can use to determine how much input you need to get the desired output.

(Input BTUs) X (Efficiency Rating) = Output BTUs

Example:

(60,000 BTUs) X (.8 [80% efficiency]) = 48,000 BTUs

(70,000 BTUs) X (.8 [80% efficiency]) = 56,000 BTUs

Trahan’s Can Do The Math For You!

We know that finding the right-sized heater can be complicated. That’s why Trahan’s Heating & Air Conditioning is the best option for hassle-free heat load calculations and heater installations! Let our team do what we do best every single day. Give us a call for the best heater installation services in Houma.