Poor design and installation of heating and ventilation
equipment commonly increases energy costs 10 to 30% in
affordable housing. This wastes money, creates discomfort, and
can endanger the health of families. Proper design and
installation of HVAC equipment is a top priority for cutting
energy bills. How Big is Too Big? Equipment that is too big
(excess capacity) costs more to purchase and operate and leads
to poor comfort levels, excess noise, and greater pollution. Do
not allow rules of thumb to be used to determine equipment size.
It may be difficult to get a properly sized furnace because as
homes are built tighter and insulated better, the currently
available units tend to be too large. For many Habitat homes,
30,000 BTU is large enough to heat a whole home comfortably and
efficiently. A properly sized furnace will operate nearly
continuously on the coldest days of the year. It is best to
request that the HVAC professional use the Air Conditioning
Contractors Association of America's Manual J calculati