How Cool Can My Air Conditioning Make My House?

How Cool Can My Air Conditioning Make My House? When it comes to your residential air conditioner, it only has one job, and that job is simple: remove heat from your house and release it outside. This process is known as heat transfer, as it is transferring heat from one place to another. In simple terms, your air conditioner is basically a pump that helps remove heat from your home so that you and your family feel cool and comfortable during the hot summer months. But just how cool can your A/C make your home? Read on to find out.

Thermostat Reading Does Not Equal Power

If you go to your thermostat right now, you’ll probably notice that the lowest you can set it to is 60℉. While this is still colder than most people prefer, it’s also not an accurate gauge of the power of your A/C. Here’s why: If it’s a 100 degree summer day and you set your thermostat as low as it will go to 60℉, don’t be surprised when it doesn’t get that cool. Your A/C has cooling capacity limits and can only cool your home a 20 degree difference. So the best you’ll get if just turning on your A/C for the first time on a hot 100 degree summer day is 80℉.

Cooling Capacity Explained

The heat transfer capacity of residential A/Cs can, at a maximum, only remove enough heat to drop the temperature of your home by 20 degrees. They can be set to do less, but cannot be made to do more. This is because the compressor and refrigerant cannot pump out more heat than that.

So on a 100 degree summer day, the coolest you can expect your home to get is 80 degrees, right? Well not necessarily. If your home is well-insulated, your curtains are drawn, and your home was already cooled to a comfortable range the day before, you will likely see your home hit the 70 degree range. However, in an effort to save you power and energy costs, never set your thermostat more than twenty degrees below the current temperature of your home.

Don’t Strain Your A/C

Though it can be tempting to push your air conditioner to its limits when it’s hot out and you’re uncomfortable, we strongly encourage you not to do this. Instead, set your thermostat as high as you are comfortably able. If you continue to push your A/C to drop the temperature lower than it’s meant to, it will keep trying to reach that temperature, all the while straining your unit and causing your energy costs to soar.

When It’s Time for a New Unit, Contact Air Solutions in East Texas

If your current A/C is unable to keep your home cool enough, it may be time to consider a new unit. Yours may be too small for the size of your home, or it may be experiencing degraded cooling capacity due to age. Whatever the reason may be, our skilled HVAC technicians can help. From recommending a new unit, like the most-efficient XV20i TruComfort™ Variable Speed system by Trane, to helping install it, we’re here to keep you and your family cool and comfortable all year long.

For more information about our heating and cooling system selection, or to schedule an appointment for repair or maintenance, contact us today at (409) 962-2476, or visit us at airsolutionstx.com/contact.