What size AC for Searcy, AR? 4 tons for 2,000 sq ft

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

4 tons central AC or heat pump, about 43,100 BTU/hr of load

Here the 20 BTU per square foot chart lands close: 3.5 tons against a load of 3.6 tons. This is one of the climates the chart was written for.

If a contractor quotes you more than 4 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 557 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 21.5 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Searcy (2.1 mi away). Jul is the hottest month, averaging a high of 93°F and a low of 72.6°F, with about 76 days a year at 90°F or more. That gives a design temperature of 100°F against 75°F inside.

What it costs to run

About 3,382 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $465 at Arkansas's average residential rate of 13.74¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 7 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Searcy

Of the 43,100 BTU/hr, 18,000 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 100°F afternoon (42%), 13,000 is sun on the house (30%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 9,900 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Searcy'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 33,120 BTU/hr before the moisture allowance.

Other house sizes in Searcy

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 3,200 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 7,500 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 12,900 BTU/hr.

Month by month in Searcy

Jul alone uses 26% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 1,123 hours a year at full output.

Searcy against nearby cities

Of 39 Arkansas cities here, Searcy has the 4th highest cooling load. The range runs from Harrison at 33,100 BTU/hr to Fort Smith at 44,000.

Where Searcy's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Searcy, 2.1 miles from the center of Searcy at 230 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Searcy's summers.

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

The sun over Searcy in late July

At 35.24°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 75.2° above the horizon over Searcy and the day runs 14 h 02 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.

23,997 people live in Searcy, the 22nd largest of the 39 Arkansas cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 35.2411, -91.7352.

Searcy AC sizing questions