What size AC for Pittsburg, KS? 3 tons for 2,000 sq ft

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

3 tons central AC or heat pump, about 33,100 BTU/hr of load

The 20 BTU per square foot chart would put in 3.5 tons, about 27% 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 725 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 16.6 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Joplin 24 N (6.4 mi away). Aug is the hottest month, averaging a high of 89.1°F and a low of 64.7°F, with about 39 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 1,919 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $293 at Kansas's average residential rate of 15.26¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 5 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Pittsburg

Of the 33,100 BTU/hr, 13,680 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 94°F afternoon (41%), 13,000 is sun on the house (39%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 4,300 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Pittsburg's summer air (13%).

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 Pittsburg

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 2,500 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 5,800 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 10,000 BTU/hr.

Month by month in Pittsburg

Jul alone uses 30% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 828 hours a year at full output.

Pittsburg against nearby cities

Of 38 Kansas cities here, Pittsburg has the lowest cooling load. The range runs from Pittsburg at 33,100 BTU/hr to Wichita at 39,500.

Where Pittsburg's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Joplin 24 N, across the line in Missouri, 6.4 miles from the center of Pittsburg at 952 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Pittsburg's summers.

No other city in this set uses Joplin 24 N, so this sizing is Pittsburg's alone.

The sun over Pittsburg in late July

At 37.41°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 73.0° above the horizon over Pittsburg and the day runs 14 h 12 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.

20,547 people live in Pittsburg, the 22nd largest of the 38 Kansas cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 37.4136, -94.6980.

Pittsburg AC sizing questions