What size AC for Covington, KY? 2.5 tons for 2,000 sq ft

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

2.5 tons central AC or heat pump, about 30,600 BTU/hr of load

The 20 BTU per square foot chart would put in 3.5 tons, about 37% more than this climate needs. An oversized unit cools the air fast, shuts off before it pulls moisture out, and leaves the house cold and clammy.

If a contractor quotes you more than 2.5 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 783 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 15.3 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field (7.4 mi away). Jul is the hottest month, averaging a high of 86.6°F and a low of 65.3°F, with about 27 days a year at 90°F or more. That gives a design temperature of 91°F against 75°F inside.

What it costs to run

About 1,564 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $222 at Kentucky's average residential rate of 14.2¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 5 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Covington

Of the 30,600 BTU/hr, 11,520 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 91°F afternoon (38%), 13,000 is sun on the house (42%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 4,000 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Covington's summer air (13%).

Sun is the biggest share here, more than heat through the walls, so shading west windows and a light roof cut the size you need more than extra insulation would. Sensible heat totals 26,640 BTU/hr before the moisture allowance.

Other house sizes in Covington

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 2,300 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 5,400 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 9,200 BTU/hr.

Month by month in Covington

Jul alone uses 30% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 730 hours a year at full output.

Covington against nearby cities

Of 42 Kentucky cities here, Covington has the 28th highest cooling load. The range runs from Versailles at 29,000 BTU/hr to Paducah at 36,900.

Where Covington's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field, across the line in Ohio, 7.4 miles from the center of Covington at 475 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Covington's summers.

9 other cities use the same station and get the same climate inputs. The closest to Covington: Newport (4 mi away, 4 mi from the station), Fort Thomas (5 mi away, 2.7 mi from the station), Cincinnati (7 mi away, 5.4 mi from the station), Alexandria (9 mi away, 9.7 mi from the station), Norwood (9 mi away, 4.3 mi from the station). Covington is farther from the station than 4 of them.

The sun over Covington in late July

At 39.04°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 71.4° above the horizon over Covington and the day runs 14 h 20 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.

41,611 people live in Covington, the 5th largest of the 42 Kentucky cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 39.0351, -84.5196.

Covington AC sizing questions