AIR CONDITIONING SIZE AND YEAR What year and size is the Air Conditioning system? Let me show you how YOU the Realtor can determine that on your own.  Remember that these dates are NOT installation dates, but they are the manufacture date and typically these dates are close to each other. First let us understand “Tonnage” is: Tonnage  The unit of measure used in air conditioning to describe the cooling capacity of a system. One ton of cooling is based on the amount of heat needed to melt one ton (2000 lbs.) of ice in a 24 hour period. One ton of cooling is equal to 12,000 Btu/hr. This size of an Air Conditioning Unit is based up many factors, such as composition of the building, which way it faces, the number of windows, the amount of insulation..... Basic Principals of Air Conditioning: The basic principals of the Air Conditioning System used for Florida.An AC system is used as a dual purpose.One is to allow warm air to be pulled into the system, filter this air and then flow across the cold coils and blow cold air into the building.

The other purpose is to pull the humidity out of the air.This is VERY important.So with this information – BIGGER IS NOT BETTER!A house with to large an AC system will always be damp and contain that “bone chilling” cold.If in doubt call a Professional and licensed Heating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) contractor. How to determine the age and size of the AC unit: The age or manufacture date of an AC compressor is usually coded under the serial number portion of the data plate that is present on the side of the compressor (Outside AC portion of the AC system) The red boxed area is the Serial Number for this type of unit.The “L” indicates the month of the manufacture.“L” being the 12thletter of the alphabet and the ‘01” being the last 2 numbers of the year, thus meaning this is a December 2001 manufacture date. This is the area where the data or information from above was obtained.The exterior portion of the AC system called the compressor. Congratulations on learning how to determine the age of an Air Conditioning Compressor.The air handler’s age is determined much the same way.

The air handler is located within the interior of the residence most of the time it is in a closet, garage or attic area.server room hvac unitsThis applies to the MAJORITY of AC units in SW Florida.Other types are present, but this will allow you to determine the age of many of the AC systems.how long does it take to install ac unit How to determine the size (called tonnage) of an Air Conditioning system:how do central air conditioner units work First of all the size of an AC unit is called a ton or tonnage.A recap of tonnage is Tonnage  The unit of measure used in air conditioning to describe the cooling capacity of a system. The number to remember is 12,000 BTU’s or more simply 12.If 12,000 BTU’s is equal to 1 (one) ton of AC then 18,000 is equal to 1.5 tons and 24,000 is equal to 2 tons and so on.

Look at the model number (Located on the data plate stamped on the actual side of the compressor) on the compressor and there should be a number divisible by 12.It should start at 18 and not be more than 60 for residential AC units.18 to equal 1.5 tons and 60 to equal 5 tons of cooling. Look at the model number below and you determine the AC compressor size. The 36 in the model number in the first picture above it means that the AC compressor is equal to 3 tons of cooling. Once again, size is very important and detrimental to the proper operational status of an Air Conditioning System.RECS 2009 — Release date: August 19, 2011 Except in the temperate climate regions along the West coast, air conditioners (AC) are now standard equipment in most U.S. homes (Figure 1). As recently as 1993, only 68% of all occupied housing units had AC. The latest results from the 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) show that 87 percent of U.S. households are now equipped with AC.

This growth occurred among all housing types and in every Census region. Wider use has coincided with much improved energy efficiency standards for AC equipment, a population shift to hotter and more humid regions, and a housing boom during which average housing sizes increased. Cooled homes have either central AC systems or room air conditioners, which are individual window or wall units (room conditioning). The type of AC equipment used differs across regions. Central air systems are most common in the South, Midwest, and West, while room conditioners are most common in the Northeast (Table 1). Variation within regions can be dramatic: 69% of air conditioned homes in New Jersey use central equipment compared to 28% of homes in neighboring New York. This difference is largely due the different mix of housing types and age of housing stock between the two States. Regional differences are apparent in air conditioning usage. Southern households are almost twice as likely to use their central and room air conditioning equipment all summer as those in other regions (Table 2).

Homes in the South are also least likely to have a programmable thermostat connected to the central air conditioner, while homes in the West are most likely. Programmable thermostats are designed to reduce consumption by automatically and routinely cycling down the unit when more intensive cooling is not needed. Consumers could reduce overall cooling costs by installing and setting a programmable thermostat. Housing type influences the type of air conditioning used as well as the overall saturation of air conditioning in U.S. homes. Air conditioning equipment is more common in single family homes (89%) than in housing units in apartment buildings (82%). While 84% of units in larger (5 or more unit) apartment buildings have air conditioning, in smaller (2 to 4 units) buildings that percentage drops to 77%. While RECS data indicate that more older homes are adding window units or being retrofitted with central air conditioning, new construction is driving the saturation. Nearly 90% of new homes are built with central air conditioning (Figure 2).

When central air conditioning is included at the time of construction, installation is easier and consumers can amortize costs over the life of a mortgage. In contrast, air conditioning retrofits or upgrades are often financed separately from a mortgage, over a much shorter time period at higher interest, and may require capital improvements such as the addition of ventilation systems and ductwork. The rise of air conditioning systems has also influenced the type of home space heating systems found in newer construction. Central air conditioning and central space heating equipment often work in tandem or as a unified system. About 91% of homes built since 2000 have a main space heating system that includes central ducts; for homes built before 1940, that number is just 50%. Although structural and geographic characteristics such as climate, housing type and ownership influence where air conditioning appears, access to air conditioning by low income households is much lower relative to other households.

Overall, 18 percent of households below the poverty line do not have any air conditioning equipment at all. About a third of households below the poverty line use room air conditioning compared to 15% of households with an income above $100,000. In contrast, about 75% of households with incomes above $100,000 use central air conditioning compared to just 44% of households below the poverty line. The share of room air conditioners continues to drop as more households, especially higher income and owner occupied households, choose central air conditioning equipment. Only 25% of all homes currently have room air conditioning units. Room air conditioning units can be a cost-effective alternative in climate regions with moderate summer temperatures. About 30% of households in the cold or very cold climate regions use room air conditioning compared to 19% in other regions. Households choose room air conditioning units in areas where cooling is only necessary a few times a year. Conversely, central air conditioning is more common in hotter climates because it can be used more intensively and efficiently relative to room air conditioning units.