What size AC for Wooster, OH? 2 tons for 2,000 sq ft

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

2 tons central AC or heat pump, about 24,100 BTU/hr of load

The 20 BTU per square foot chart would put in 3.5 tons, about 74% 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 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 996 square feet in this climate. For a single room, size by the room: 12.1 BTU/hr per square foot.

The climate it is sized for

Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at Wooster 3 Sse (4 mi away). Jul is the hottest month, averaging a high of 81.4°F and a low of 61.4°F, with about 2 days a year at 90°F or more. That gives a design temperature of 85°F against 75°F inside.

What it costs to run

About 790 kWh a year at SEER2 14.3, or roughly $149 at Ohio's average residential rate of 18.81¢ per kWh. Cooling runs 4 months of the year here.

What drives the load in Wooster

Of the 24,100 BTU/hr, 7,200 comes through walls, roof and windows on a 85°F afternoon (30%), 13,000 is sun on the house (54%), 2,120 is four people and their appliances, and 1,800 is moisture the coil has to wring out of Wooster's summer air (7%).

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 22,320 BTU/hr before the moisture allowance.

Other house sizes in Wooster

Single rooms with a window or mini-split unit: a 150 sq ft bedroom needs about 1,800 BTU/hr; a 350 sq ft living room needs about 4,200 BTU/hr; a 600 sq ft open plan kitchen and family room needs about 7,300 BTU/hr.

Month by month in Wooster

Jul alone uses 33% of the year's cooling energy. The unit runs the equivalent of 469 hours a year at full output.

Wooster against nearby cities

Of 176 Ohio cities here, Wooster has the 174th highest cooling load. The range runs from Conneaut at 24,100 BTU/hr to Hamilton at 31,500.

Where Wooster's weather numbers come from

The nearest NOAA station with full 1991 to 2020 normals is Wooster 3 Sse, 4 miles from the center of Wooster at 1,102 ft above sea level. That is close enough that the station's summers are Wooster's summers.

No other city in this set uses Wooster 3 Sse, so this sizing is Wooster's alone.

The sun over Wooster in late July

At 40.82°N, the noon sun on 21 July stands 69.6° above the horizon over Wooster and the day runs 14 h 30 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.

26,982 people live in Wooster, the 56th largest of the 176 Ohio cities sized on this site. Coordinates used: 40.8191, -81.9316.

Wooster AC sizing questions