In this video, Derek Cole explains that a heat load (or heat loss/gain) calculation is essential for every HVAC installation. He argues that the calculation determines the correct unit size, accounts for changes in a home such as new windows, doors, insulation, or roof, and satisfies state licensing and inspection requirements. Cole stresses that companies that skip this step are less trustworthy, and that the calculation only takes 15‑30 minutes but protects a 10‑plus‑year investment by ensuring the system is properly sized from the start.
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I will tell you what separates the companies from each other. The companies that provide a heat loss calculation and the companies that do not. That will tell you pretty quickly who you're dealing with. On every install, we do a heat load calculation, which is a load calculation on your house to make sure that it is the right size unit going into your house. Now, It doesn't matter if you had a 4-ton unit for 25 years in your house because we still need to do one. And because you probably replaced the windows, the doors, added insulation, replaced the roof, got more insulation, something has changed in that space. So we're just going to calculate again what is needed, how much heat loss or heat gain your house has.. That will allow us to properly size the unit and then we'll put the unit into your home. A company that does not provide this is one that's not doing it and you probably don't want them doing your home because it really does separate companies, you know. We do one on every install. If you're a state license holder, you have to do one. If the state board were to come in here and say, hey, So-and-so customer said you guys installed a 3-ton, it should have been a 2.5-ton. Let me see your heat loss, heat gain. And then boom, you got to show it to them. So you have to do one on every install and you should do one. And regardless, I've heard it many, many times, same unit I've had for 30 years, 20 years, 15 years. I understand, I get it, I understand that, but this step needs to be done just to make sure I mean, it's going to take another 15, 30 minutes, and this is a 10-year investment at least. So let's make sure we're doing it right the first time.
