HVAC Sizing Services - Residential AC & Heating

Real Horizons can provide you with services to determine the proper sizing for the Air Conditioning and Heating requirements of your home. This service is particularly aimed at homeowners who wish to determine the proper HVAC requirements for their existing home or for new home additions and for smaller contractors or builders performing remodeling or building services that require HVAC installations. This service is required if the jurisdiction within which the project occurs requires compliance with IECC Energy Codes. Please read on to see what this service entails and how it may be beneficial to you:

The Process

The HVAC system in the home is primarilly resopnsible for maintaining a comfortable and healthy environment in the building envelope (Living Areas). To this end, the proper sizing of HVAC equipment is paramount towards providing installed system(s) that are not too large or small to achieve environmental standards. Undersized or oversized systems will not provide appropriate levels of comfort and will have a significant impact on utility costs. The actual process for determining proper equipment sizing is known as a Manual 'J' calculation.

The HVAC sizing service collects specific data relevant to the structure's construction and uses this data to determine correct sizing for heating and cooling equipment. Some of the data collected includes; orientation of the home, wall, floor, ceiling, and window and door sizes, types of windows and doors, insulation in walls and ceilings, and location of walls, doors and windows. Once this data is collected, it is applied to specific software which will provide a complete report indicating Heat Gains and Losses specific to the home along with breakdowns for "Sensible" and "Latent" heat. The bottom line is a calculation indicating the actual requirements, in BTU's, required for heating and cooling.

Homeowners (Existing Homes)

If you are experiencing a situation where your HVAC system does not appear to be cooling or removing humidity effectively, the problem may reside in leakages in the structure, an old or worn system, or possibly that your current system is not properly sized for the existing structure.  The best way to determine the causes for this discomfort is by having an Energy Audit conducted on the home. Real Horizons can perform an Energy Audit and for an additional charge, will conduct a Manual 'J' on your home to determine if your HVAC is, in fact, properly sized.  

Homeowners (Remodels and Additions)   

If you are considering an extensive remodel of your current home that will require an addition such as a room , den or other, you may have thought of using your existing HVAC system for heating and cooling the addition by simply adding some supply ducting.  In many cases this may be adequate and in many others, it is not.  There is nothing more discouraging than adding a beautiful addition and then finding that you cannot keep it comfortable.  As a suggestion, you may wish to assure yourself that your current system will handle the new load and that is where we can help you by performing a Manual 'J' on your house to include the new addition.

Small Residential Builders and Remodelers  

As many of you are already probably aware, many juridictions are requiring an IECC Energy Code Inspection be performed on all new residential buildings or additions.  As a part of the code compliance specifics, a Manual 'J' is also required if an HVAC system will need to be installed to verify compliance with the code.  At Real Horizons, we can review your plans for the project and provide you with a certificate to obtain your building permit as well as perform your Energy Inspection for you along with a Manual 'J' so that you may obtain an occupancy permit when the project is completed. If your Permit Application must contain a Manual 'J' for the proposed project, we can work off your plans/drawings to accomplish this.  With the Manual 'J' completed, you only need to provide a copy of the report to your HVAC installer for equipment purchasing and system installation.

Contact Us

If you wish to learn more about this service or discuss in detail how this may be beneficial to you, please Contact Us and leave a brief message or alternatively, you may reach us directly at 281-682-7747.