If you move across the country from South Florida to Southern California, there is a very strong chance that your new home will have an HVAC system that will look similar to your previous home.
Although the brand and appearance of residential air conditioning components may look the same in Victorville as in Miami, the HVAC configuration will not be the same. Keeping your home cool is an engineering process that happens to be climate specific; this means that an A/C system in the High Desert will not be as efficient in Miami and vice versa.
Major Differences Due to Climates
Like all of South Florida, Miami is a very humid place. When temperatures rise in Miami, the relative humidity becomes stifling and uncomfortable. An early afternoon thunderstorm will cool things down momentarily before the blinding sun accelerates the evaporation process, thereby creating even more humidity. For this reason, A/C systems in Miami need to be configured for max dehumidifying functionality.
The Southern California heat in the High Desert is different from Miami. The dry air makes dehumidifying unnecessary, but keeping indoor air temperatures low requires energy efficiency, especially because electric utility bills in the Golden State tend to be higher than in the Sunshine State.
It is easy to feel the difference in climates: When you step outside your High Desert home in the summer, you may feel the intense sunlight stinging your skin. You will perspire, but the warm air will keep you dry. In Miami, you will not feel the sting of the sun, but you will start sweating copiously and will stay drenched.
Dealing with Intense Summer Heat
The HVAC difference between South Florida and Southern California has to do with the heat removal process. The technicians of Elite Climate Control know that they must configure your system in accordance to sensible heat removal guidelines. In Miami, they would have to apply latent heat removal techniques to dissipate the humidity.
What HVAC technicians in the High Desert aim for is to establish a sensible heat ratio in a home so that the process of heat removal can take place with a high degree of energy efficiency. A/C systems are subject to sensible and latent loads; the sensible heat ratio can be calculated by dividing the sensible load by the total load.
In the end, the airflow achieved by A/C systems and fans will determine your energy efficiency in the High Desert, which must be higher than in Miami. Contact our experts at Elite Climate Control for professional assessments.
