What size AC for Wildomar, CA? 3 tons for 2,000 sq ft

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

3 tons central AC or heat pump, about 31,900 BTU/hr of load

The 20 BTU per square foot chart would put in 3.5 tons, about 32% 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 753 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 15.9 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Fallbrook 5 Ne (12.9 mi away). Aug is the hottest month, averaging a high of 89.3°F and a low of 61.8°F, with about 60 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 1,842 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $600 at California's average residential rate of 32.58¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 7 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Wildomar

Of the 31,900 BTU/hr, 14,400 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 95°F afternoon (45%), 13,000 is sun on the house (41%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 2,400 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Wildomar's summer air (8%).

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 Wildomar

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 2,400 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 5,600 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 9,500 BTU/hr.

Month by month in Wildomar

Aug alone uses 23% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 826 hours a year at full output.

Wildomar against nearby cities

Of 376 California cities here, Wildomar has the 153rd highest cooling load. The range runs from Corte Madera at 15,700 BTU/hr to Palm Desert at 59,000.

Where Wildomar's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Fallbrook 5 Ne, 12.9 miles from the center of Wildomar at 1,140 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Wildomar's summers.

2 other cities use the same station and get the same climate inputs. The closest to Wildomar: Murrieta (5 mi away, 9.3 mi from the station), Temecula (11 mi away, 5 mi from the station). Wildomar is farther from the station than 2 of them.

The sun over Wildomar in late July

At 33.62°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 76.8° above the horizon over Wildomar and the day runs 13 h 55 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.

37,736 people live in Wildomar, the 212th largest of the 376 California cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 33.6173, -117.2583.

Wildomar AC sizing questions