What size AC for Pocatello, ID? 2.5 tons for 2,000 sq ft

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

2.5 tons central AC or heat pump, about 30,700 BTU/hr of load

The 20 BTU per square foot chart would put in 3.5 tons, about 37% 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 782 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 15.4 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Pocatello Regional Airport (6.5 mi away). Jul is the hottest month, averaging a high of 89.3°F and a low of 52.3°F, with about 39 days a year at 90°F or more. That gives a design temperature of 95°F against 75°F inside.

What it costs to run

About 541 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $70 at Idaho's average residential rate of 13.02¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 2 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Pocatello

Of the 30,700 BTU/hr, 14,400 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 95°F afternoon (47%), 13,000 is sun on the house (42%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 1,200 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Pocatello's summer air (4%).

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 29,520 BTU/hr before the moisture allowance.

Other house sizes in Pocatello

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 2,300 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 5,400 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 9,200 BTU/hr.

Month by month in Pocatello

Jul alone uses 45% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 252 hours a year at full output.

Pocatello against nearby cities

Of 26 Idaho cities here, Pocatello has the 13th highest cooling load. The range runs from Sandpoint at 24,000 BTU/hr to Mountain Home at 36,500.

Where Pocatello's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Pocatello Regional Airport, 6.5 miles from the center of Pocatello at 4,451 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Pocatello's summers.

1 other city uses the same station and get the same climate inputs. The closest to Pocatello: Chubbuck (4 mi away, 5.8 mi from the station). Pocatello is farther from the station than 1 of them.

The sun over Pocatello in late July

At 42.87°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 67.5° above the horizon over Pocatello and the day runs 14 h 42 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.

58,231 people live in Pocatello, the 6th largest of the 26 Idaho cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 42.8714, -112.4618.

Pocatello AC sizing questions