Is Your System Struggling to Keep Up with the Alabama Heat?

It’s the middle of summer in North Alabama, and your AC has been running all day—but your house still feels warm and sticky. Sound familiar?

If you’re in Huntsville, Madison, Athens, or Decatur and your air conditioner just can’t seem to cool your home properly, the problem might not be the heat—your AC unit might be too small for your home.

At Clifford’s HVAC, we regularly help homeowners diagnose and correct HVAC sizing issues that lead to poor comfort, high energy bills, and premature system wear. Here’s how to tell if your system is undersized—and what to do about it.

🧊 What Happens When Your AC Is Too Small?

An undersized air conditioner works harder than it should to try and meet your thermostat’s demands, especially during hot Alabama summers. That strain affects cooling, humidity control, and energy use.

Warning signs your AC may be undersized include:

• Your system runs constantly but never reaches the set temperature

• Certain rooms are always hotter than others

• The air feels humid even when the system is running

• Your energy bills are unusually high

• The unit is less than 10 years old but already needs frequent repairs

📐 Why Proper Sizing Matters

Your HVAC system should be carefully matched to your home’s square footage, layout, insulation, and even window exposure. A “one size fits all” approach doesn’t cut it—especially in Middle Tennessee and North Alabama where summer heat is no joke.

An undersized unit can lead to:

• Inconsistent comfort between rooms

• Shortened equipment lifespan

• Poor indoor air quality due to lack of dehumidification

• Higher-than-necessary monthly utility costs

🧰 What Can You Do?

If your system seems like it’s losing the battle against the heat, here’s what we recommend:

✅ Schedule a Load Calculation

A Manual J Load Calculation factors in your home’s size, orientation, insulation, and more to determine the exact cooling capacity you need. We perform this for all new installs and upgrades.

✅ Consider Upgrading to a Two-Stage or Variable-Speed Unit

These systems are more efficient and can adapt to your home’s cooling needs, even during extreme heat.

✅ Improve Insulation or Ductwork

In some cases, your unit may be working fine, but your ductwork or attic insulation is leaking cool air. We’ll inspect your full system before recommending replacement.

🏠 Serving Homeowners Across North Alabama

If you’re sweating through summer in a home that never seems to cool down, don’t wait for your system to give out. Clifford’s HVAC proudly serves Huntsville, Madison, Decatur, Athens, and surrounding areas with expert diagnostics, sizing, and AC replacements tailored to your home.

📞 Think your AC might be too small? Let us take a look.