Heat loss calculation San Diego

16 years ago

I'm hoping someone can help me. I used a program called HVAC-Calc to figure out my heat loss. I believe it is manual J compliant. It came in at 14,335 BTU's. Does that seem reasonable for an average 1,500 sq/ft house in so. cal?

Can you even buy a furnace that small?

Thanks

Joe

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Comments (8)

formula1
16 years ago
I have used HVAC-Calc on 2 homes, the most recent was new construction and my numbers came in dead-on with several contractors calculations.

Does your calc seem reasonable? I guess so, but I'm looking outside at a landscape of snow right now!

About 50,000 BTU/Hr is about the smallest gas furnace I've seen.
joeboldt
Original Author
16 years ago
When I change the sample house to be located in San Diego it changes the heat loss to about 17,000 btu, so I guess it is doing it correctly. Maybe I should consider a different heating method.
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bob_brown
16 years ago
No.. get a pro to calcullate the manJ. this is not
enough cooling for a typical home thet size.
joeboldt
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi Bob,

I don't need cooling, just heat.
jeffnette
16 years ago
That just doesn't sound right...way to small...for a 1500sq ft home.
check your numbers again and recalculate, if not get a professional to figure it for you.
"Maybe I should consider a different heating method"
Btu is BTu no matter what type of heating you use.
joeboldt
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, I know a btu is a btu. What I was thinking is that maybe I should just continue to use my space heater. It's not like it's really cold here in San Diego. If I install a furnace I also have to install ductwork. I'll have to crunch the numbers to see if that would make long term sense.
pearson21
16 years ago
FETISTRATIONS CAN BE KEY TO WHY YOU MAY BE SO LOW ON YOUR HEAT LOSS
CHECK OUT MY SITE

Here is a link that might be useful: ACCA AND ASHRAE CERTIFIED HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING LOAD CALCULATIONS WITH DUCT DESIGNS
don55
16 years ago
I have also used the hvac-calc program. I live in a 1500 sq-ft house in Santa Rosa, CA (30 miles north of San F.), and I get around 45000 BTUH heat loss, even though there is no insulation in my walls. The design temperature here is 29 degrees, which means that only something like 3% of the days per year are expected to be colder than that. I would imagine that in San Diego, the design temperature is something like 50 degrees (San Diego is possibly the mildest temperature in the US). So, if your house is well-insulated, 17000 BTUH heat loss does not seem unreasonable to me.

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Heat loss calculation San Diego

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Heat loss calculation San Diego

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