What size AC for Avenal, CA? 3.5 tons for 2,000 sq ft

What size AC a 2,000 sq ft house in Avenal needs

3.5 tons central AC or heat pump, about 40,400 BTU/hr of load

Here the 20 BTU per square foot chart lands close: 3.5 tons against a load of 3.4 tons. This is one of the climates the chart was written for.

If a contractor quotes you more than 3.5 tons for an average 2,000 sq ft house here, ask to see the Manual J load calculation behind it before you sign. That works out to one ton per 594 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 20.2 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Lemoore Reeves NAS (22.8 mi away). Jul is the hottest month, averaging a high of 98°F and a low of 62.7°F, with about 120 days a year at 90°F or more. That gives a design temperature of 106°F against 75°F inside.

What it costs to run

About 2,321 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $756 at California's average residential rate of 32.58¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 6 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Avenal

Of the 40,400 BTU/hr, 22,320 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 106°F afternoon (55%), 13,000 is sun on the house (32%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 3,000 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Avenal's summer air (7%).

Heat through the shell is the biggest share here, so insulation and air sealing cut the size you need more than shading would. Sensible heat totals 37,440 BTU/hr before the moisture allowance.

Other house sizes in Avenal

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 3,000 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 7,100 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 12,100 BTU/hr.

Month by month in Avenal

Jul alone uses 27% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 821 hours a year at full output.

Avenal against nearby cities

Of 376 California cities here, Avenal has the 51st highest cooling load. The range runs from Corte Madera at 15,700 BTU/hr to Palm Desert at 59,000.

Where Avenal's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Lemoore Reeves NAS, 22.8 miles from the center of Avenal at 232 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Avenal's summers.

1 other city uses the same station and get the same climate inputs. The closest to Avenal: Lemoore (25 mi away, 8.9 mi from the station). Avenal is farther from the station than 1 of them.

The sun over Avenal in late July

At 36.03°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 74.4° above the horizon over Avenal and the day runs 14 h 06 min from sunrise to sunset. A lower noon sun puts more of the day's heat on east and west walls than on the roof, which is why shading west glass pays off here. Shorter days give the house a longer night to shed the day's heat.

14,108 people live in Avenal, the 331st largest of the 376 California cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 36.0311, -120.1162.

Avenal AC sizing questions