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

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

5 tons central AC or heat pump, about 52,700 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 455 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 26.4 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Bunkerville (2.9 mi away). Jul is the hottest month, averaging a high of 106.2°F and a low of 70.9°F, with about 150 days a year at 90°F or more. That gives a design temperature of 114°F against 75°F inside.

What it costs to run

About 4,070 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $544 at Nevada's average residential rate of 13.36¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 7 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Mesquite

Of the 52,700 BTU/hr, 28,080 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 114°F afternoon (53%), 13,000 is sun on the house (25%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 9,500 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Mesquite'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 43,200 BTU/hr before the moisture allowance.

Other house sizes in Mesquite

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 4,000 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 9,200 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 15,800 BTU/hr.

Month by month in Mesquite

Jul alone uses 26% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 1,104 hours a year at full output.

Mesquite against nearby cities

Of 10 Nevada cities here, Mesquite has the 5th highest cooling load. The range runs from Carson at 30,700 BTU/hr to Henderson at 55,200.

Where Mesquite's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Bunkerville, 2.9 miles from the center of Mesquite at 1,532 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Mesquite's summers.

No other city in this set uses Bunkerville, so this sizing is Mesquite's alone.

The sun over Mesquite in late July

At 36.81°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 73.6° above the horizon over Mesquite and the day runs 14 h 09 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.

23,599 people live in Mesquite, the 8th largest of the 10 Nevada cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 36.8111, -114.1257.

Mesquite AC sizing questions