What size AC for La Porte, IN? 2.5 tons for 2,000 sq ft

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

2.5 tons central AC or heat pump, about 26,500 BTU/hr of load

The 20 BTU per square foot chart would put in 3.5 tons, about 59% 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 906 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 13.2 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Laporte (0.8 mi away). Jul is the hottest month, averaging a high of 82.1°F and a low of 64°F, with about 10 days a year at 90°F or more. That gives a design temperature of 86°F against 75°F inside.

What it costs to run

About 1,105 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $188 at Indiana's average residential rate of 17.04¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 5 months of the year here.

What drives the load in La Porte

Of the 26,500 BTU/hr, 7,920 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 86°F afternoon (30%), 13,000 is sun on the house (49%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 3,500 is moisture the coil has to wring out of La Porte'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 23,040 BTU/hr before the moisture allowance.

Other house sizes in La Porte

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 2,000 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 4,600 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 7,900 BTU/hr.

Month by month in La Porte

Jul alone uses 32% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 596 hours a year at full output.

La Porte against nearby cities

Of 88 Indiana cities here, La Porte has the 67th highest cooling load. The range runs from Auburn at 24,100 BTU/hr to Jasper at 36,400.

Where La Porte's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Laporte, 0.8 miles from the center of La Porte at 809 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are La Porte's summers.

No other city in this set uses Laporte, so this sizing is La Porte's alone.

The sun over La Porte in late July

At 41.61°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 68.8° above the horizon over La Porte and the day runs 14 h 34 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. Long days mean the house keeps gaining heat into the evening, well after the outdoor peak.

22,444 people live in La Porte, the 46th largest of the 88 Indiana cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 41.6109, -86.7148.

La Porte AC sizing questions