One of the biggest problems in comfort for your home is the sizing of your furnace or airconditioner. Often homeowners don’t realize that their HVAC systems are sized wrong, they just know that they aren’t as comfortable as they ought to be. Many times HVAC contractors unless they really pay attention to detail or are working with a homeowner that understands heating and cooling will install the wrong sized unit for a house. Often it is even sized wrong right from the beginning of the house’s construction. An improperly sized heating or cooling unit or even improperly designed ductwork can cost you hundreds of dollars more overtime than a properly sized HVAC system. Often an HVAC contractor will pick a unit to install based on just the average size of the home rather than paying attention to things that can affect the sizing of the system such as insulation and the amount of windows or doors in a room. A unit that is too large for a house may run too often and go on and off more than it should, therefore the unit wears out faster and needs to be replaced or repaired too often. But a unit that is too large is not the only problem, one that is too small may cause the unit too stay on too long or not long enough and may not cool down or warm up your house to the temperature desired as it should. These are not the only problems that can be caused by an improperly sized system they may also affect the level of humidity in your home. A unit that is too large may not stay on long enough to remove all the humidity it needs to for your house there by making your home feel clammy and a unit that is too small may take too much humidity out because it is on for too long. One of the best things a homeowner or a contractor can do to avoid this type of problem is to have a Heat Loss/Heat Gain Study done on the home prior to installing or buying the HVAC unit or the entire system. A proper analysis of your home’s insulation, hot spots/cold spots, windows and doors, as well as room sizes (including ceiling heights) can tell an HVAC contractor exactly what size unit to install as well as the size of the ductwork and the number of registers needed to heat and cool the rooms properly. An HVAC contractor may have to ask you a lot of questions about you and your home to complete a proper Heat Loss/Heat Gain Study, but it will not only save you money in the long run, but can also save you money on the initial cost of you system and installation. Always ask for a Heat Loss/Heat Gain Study to be done prior to installing any new HVAC unit or system, you’ll be glad you did. If your system has already been installed, but you feel it is not right don’t despair. Call a reputable HVAC contractor in your area to have them come out and do a Heat Loss/Heat Gain Study for you to determine if the system you have may be sized wrong. If it is sized improperly there are things that can be done by your HVAC contractor to help increase the comfort in your home. One of the things that can be done is to install dampers in your ductwork or behind your registers to zone different parts of your house, so if one room is too hot and another is too cold than the registers in the hot room can be shut off temporarily with the dampers allowing more of the warm air to enter the cold room and equalizing the heat distribution. Typically these dampers are tied into a new thermostat that will control them and have to be installed by a professional HVAC contractor. This is one of several ways you can correct your existing system, contact your local HVAC contractor for more information and ideas on what can be done to improve the comfort level in your home.