HOW LONG SHOULD THE AC RUN ON 100-DEGREE DAYS?

Although 100-degree days are rare in Florida , temperatures in the mid-90s are frequent. During these periods, your AC may seem like it’s cooling almost all the time. This is not usually a cause for concern if the house is cool and everyone is comfortable. If the AC unit seems like it’s struggling with cooling or making strange sounds or smells, and energy bills are climbing, get in touch with a professional for a system inspection.

HOW LONG SHOULD AC RUN AFTER REACHING THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE?

A single-stage AC unit should run for around 15-20 minutes to reach the set temperature and then shut off completely. The thermostat will restart the cooling cycle once the temperature rises above the set point again. This on/off cycling, typically 2-3 times per hour on a moderate day, keeps both temperature and humidity at comfortable levels. Two-stage and variable-speed units behave differently once the set temperature is reached: they ramp down rather than shut off.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY AC IS THE RIGHT SIZE?

A Manual J Load calculation should be performed by an AC professional to determine the correct size of AC. As a very rough guide, however, an average-sized home in Florida ( 1,960 square feet ) usually needs around a 3.5-ton (42,000 BTU) unit. If your AC runs and cuts off rapidly, it may be too large for your home, cooling it too quickly. An undersized air conditioner will struggle to cool the home even at full capacity because it doesn’t make efficient use of energy.