What size AC for Gulf Shores, AL? 3 tons for 2,000 sq ft

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

3 tons central AC or heat pump, about 35,100 BTU/hr of load

The 20 BTU per square foot chart would put in 3.5 tons, about 20% 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 3 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 683 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 17.6 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Fairhope 3 Ne (21.4 mi away). Aug is the hottest month, averaging a high of 88.7°F and a low of 71°F, with about 47 days a year at 90°F or more. That gives a design temperature of 94°F against 75°F inside.

What it costs to run

About 3,232 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $534 at Alabama's average residential rate of 16.51¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 7 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Gulf Shores

Of the 35,100 BTU/hr, 13,680 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 94°F afternoon (39%), 13,000 is sun on the house (37%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 6,300 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Gulf Shores's summer air (18%).

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 28,800 BTU/hr before the moisture allowance.

Other house sizes in Gulf Shores

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 2,600 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 6,200 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 10,600 BTU/hr.

Month by month in Gulf Shores

Jul alone uses 22% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 1,316 hours a year at full output.

Gulf Shores against nearby cities

Of 66 Alabama cities here, Gulf Shores has the 59th highest cooling load. The range runs from Boaz at 30,600 BTU/hr to Montgomery at 44,000.

Where Gulf Shores's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Fairhope 3 Ne, 21.4 miles from the center of Gulf Shores at 95 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Gulf Shores's summers.

4 other cities use the same station and get the same climate inputs. The closest to Gulf Shores: Foley (9 mi away, 16.2 mi from the station), Fairhope (20 mi away, 1.9 mi from the station), Daphne (26 mi away, 5.2 mi from the station), Spanish Fort (32 mi away, 12.1 mi from the station). Gulf Shores is farther from the station than 4 of them.

The sun over Gulf Shores in late July

At 30.28°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 80.1° above the horizon over Gulf Shores and the day runs 13 h 40 min from sunrise to sunset. With the sun that close to overhead, the roof takes most of the heat at midday and the west wall takes the rest after 3 pm. Shorter days give the house a longer night to shed the day's heat.

17,431 people live in Gulf Shores, the 37th largest of the 66 Alabama cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 30.2772, -87.7024.

Gulf Shores AC sizing questions