What size AC for Ridgewood, NJ? 3 tons for 2,000 sq ft

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

3 tons central AC or heat pump, about 33,400 BTU/hr of load

The 20 BTU per square foot chart would put in 3.5 tons, about 26% 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 719 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 16.7 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Teterboro Airport (9 mi away). Jul is the hottest month, averaging a high of 87°F and a low of 68.9°F, with about 29 days a year at 90°F or more. That gives a design temperature of 92°F against 75°F inside.

What it costs to run

About 1,850 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $446 at New Jersey's average residential rate of 24.09¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 5 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Ridgewood

Of the 33,400 BTU/hr, 12,240 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 92°F afternoon (37%), 13,000 is sun on the house (39%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 6,000 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Ridgewood's summer air (18%).

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 27,360 BTU/hr before the moisture allowance.

Other house sizes in Ridgewood

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 Ridgewood

Jul alone uses 32% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 793 hours a year at full output.

Ridgewood against nearby cities

Of 116 New Jersey cities here, Ridgewood has the 30th highest cooling load. The range runs from Hackettstown at 26,400 BTU/hr to Camden at 34,300.

Where Ridgewood's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Teterboro Airport, 9 miles from the center of Ridgewood at 3 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Ridgewood's summers.

34 other cities use the same station and get the same climate inputs. The closest to Ridgewood: Glen Rock (2 mi away, 7.8 mi from the station), Waldwick (2 mi away, 11.3 mi from the station), Fair Lawn (3 mi away, 6.2 mi from the station), Paramus (3 mi away, 6.2 mi from the station), Hillsdale (4 mi away, 10.3 mi from the station). Ridgewood is farther from the station than 28 of them.

The sun over Ridgewood in late July

At 40.98°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 69.4° above the horizon over Ridgewood and the day runs 14 h 31 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.

26,701 people live in Ridgewood, the 35th largest of the 116 New Jersey cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 40.9816, -74.1135.

Ridgewood AC sizing questions