What size AC for Las Vegas, NV? 5 tons for 2,000 sq ft

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

5 tons central AC or heat pump, about 54,300 BTU/hr of load

The 20 BTU per square foot chart would put in 3.5 tons, which falls short here. On a design day the unit runs flat out and the house still drifts above 75°F by late afternoon.

If a contractor quotes you more than 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 442 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 27.1 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Las Vegas Air Terminal (4.2 mi away). Jul is the hottest month, averaging a high of 103.8°F and a low of 79.8°F, with about 136 days a year at 90°F or more. That gives a design temperature of 112°F against 75°F inside.

What it costs to run

About 5,352 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $715 at Nevada's average residential rate of 13.36¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 7 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Las Vegas

Of the 54,300 BTU/hr, 26,640 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 112°F afternoon (49%), 13,000 is sun on the house (24%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 12,500 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Las Vegas's summer air (23%).

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 41,760 BTU/hr before the moisture allowance.

Other house sizes in Las Vegas

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 4,100 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 9,500 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 16,300 BTU/hr.

Month by month in Las Vegas

Jul alone uses 24% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 1,410 hours a year at full output.

Las Vegas against nearby cities

Of 10 Nevada cities here, Las Vegas has the 3rd highest cooling load. The range runs from Carson at 30,700 BTU/hr to Henderson at 55,200.

Where Las Vegas's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Las Vegas Air Terminal, 4.2 miles from the center of Las Vegas at 2,189 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Las Vegas's summers.

1 other city uses the same station and get the same climate inputs. The closest to Las Vegas: North Las Vegas (10 mi away, 7.9 mi from the station). Las Vegas sits closer to the station than any of them, so its numbers are the best measured of the group.

The sun over Las Vegas in late July

At 36.23°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 74.2° above the horizon over Las Vegas and the day runs 14 h 07 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.

678,922 people live in Las Vegas, the largest of the 10 Nevada cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 36.2335, -115.2640.

Las Vegas AC sizing questions